Deep emission cuts essential to stop acid oceans
Deep and immediate cuts in CO2 emissions are needed to stall ocean acidification and prevent mass extinction of marine species, food insecurity and serious damage to the world economy, according to a report released at the Copenhagen Climate Summit.
The report by the IUCN- and EU-backed European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) takes stock of the latest science on oceans acidification and spells out the steps that are urgently needed to stop its acceleration. Increased release of CO2 in the atmosphere is making seawater more acidic and is threatening ecosystems and species precious for our food and economy. It is also reducing the oceans' ability to absorb CO2 and regulate climate. Previous episodes of ocean acidification were linked to mass extinctions of some species, and it is reasonable to assume that this episode could have the same consequences. There can be little doubt that the ocean is undergoing dramatic changes that will impact many human lives now and in coming generations, unless we act quickly and decisively.
"Ocean acidification can be best described as the evil twin of climate change," says Dan Laffoley, lead editor of the guide, Marine Vice Chair of IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas, and member of Natural England's Chief Scientist's team.
Corrosive water
The ocean provides about half of the earth's natural resources and humankind takes direct advantage of this through our fisheries and shellfisheries. The ocean also absorbs 25 per cent of all the carbon dioxide we emit each year, and produces half the oxygen we breathe.
Ocean acidity has increased by 30 per cent since industrialization began 250 years ago. If CO2 levels in the atmosphere continue to rise, seawater acidity could increase by 120 per cent by 2060 – greater than anything experienced in the past 21 million years. By 2100, 70 per cent of cold water corals may be exposed to corrosive water.
Given the lag between CO2 emissions and a stabilization of acidification, it could take tens of thousands of years before the oceans' properties are restored and even longer for full biological recovery. This demands immediate and substantial emissions cuts and technology that actively removes CO2.
Ocean Acidification – the facts, an introductory guide for policy advisers and decision-makers, can be downloaded here.
