We know our customers here at Buy-Rash-Guards.com are ocean loving folks so we thought we’d pass this news along…
According to a recent report by Oceana, the largest international organization focused 100 percent on ocean conservation, the world’s oceans are becoming more acidic at an alarming rate due to the increase of carbon dioxide emissions over the last few decades and this is likely to drastically change marine ecosystems worldwide.
Oceana’s analysis, which draws heavily on published scientific literature, predicts a mass extinction of coral reefs in both tropical and colder deep waters this century. These die-offs will result from the absorption of carbon dioxide by the oceans, which leads to a lowering of pH, creating a more acidic environment for marine life.
Acidification reduces the ability of marine animals such as corals, crabs, lobsters, clams and oysters to create calcium carbonate skeletons and shells, which will likely reduce their survival rates, and their ability to mature and reproduce. Such a decline and widespread death of coral reefs will cost society billions of dollars annually in lost fishing and tourism revenue and will jeopardize the coastal protection services that coral reefs otherwise provide.
Oceana describes a framework of actions for policymakers, business leaders and the public to reduce carbon emissions and prevent massive die-offs of marine ecosystems, including:
- Adopt a policy of stabilizing atmospheric carbon dioxide at 350 parts per million or below
- Promote energy efficiency and low carbon fuels
- Transition quickly to alternative energy sources
- Regulate carbon releases
- Preserve natural resilience of marine ecosystems by protecting them from overfishing and pollution
You can read the full report here at their website…
