Ocean acidification: Connecting science, industry, policy and public
A powerful short film on Ocean acidification: Connecting science, industry, policy and public.
Ocean acidification is a recently recognised phenomenon which results from the growing quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere. Much of this gas is being absorbed at the ocean surface, pushing seawater down the pH scale towards acidity and posing a potential threat to marine ecosystems and those dependent on them. As scientific research reveals more about how the oceans and the life they contain might be affected, there is a need to engage with a wider community including policy makers, environmental managers and the general public to understand what is happening, how we might be affected and what actions could be taken to reduce any risks.If you are currently unaware of what ocean acidification is or the threats posed by acid deposition, I highly suggest watching this 12 minute film or getting through as much of it as you can. Ocean acidification has been called “global warming’s evil twin” in that it’s more than likely as much of a threat or greater than global warming itself.
I talk about the oceans a lot on this blog because their well-being is critical to sustaining life on land. The two targets that stand to lose the most to ocean acidification are phytoplankton, which are the fundamental units in the web of life, producing 50% of the world’s oxygen and acting as the most basic components of the food chain, and coral reefs. If we lose our oceans, we lose everything. The well-being of life on land and our ecosystems are both sustained with rich oceanic biodiversity. A sustainable environment starts with our oceans.
It takes potentially thousands of years to reverse the effects of ocean acidification but we can stop it.
Please do your part and help get ocean acidification included in the National Climate Assessment.
(via acorda)
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