By now, everyone knows that increased carbon in our atmosphere is causing global temperatures to rise, but many people don’t know about another major impact that it is having on our planet: acidification of our oceans. When carbon in the air makes contact with sea water, a certain percentage of it is absorbed, and as the amount of carbon in the sea increases, so does the acidity of the water, putting ocean life in grave danger. At greatest risk are shell forming creatures, such as coral, clams, shrimp, snails and various forms of plankton. High acidity makes it very difficult for these animals to form their shells–and acidity that is too high will cause their shells to literally disintegrate. Fortunately we haven’t reached that level yet, but unfortunately we are well on our way.
What will the mass extinction of crustaceans mean for life on earth? Disaster. These animals are an integral part of the ocean food web. Animals like corals and pteropods are at the base of the food chain, and removing them will cause a ripple affect up the chain affecting untold numbers of species, from tuna to humpbacks, dolphins to octopi. But who is at the top of the food chain? You guessed it–we are. Millions of people world wide depend on the oceans for their daily bread. Coral reefs are some of the most endangered ocean environments, but they are also some of the most valuable, accounting for $29 Billion of net benefit yearly according to a joint report from NOAA and other organizations.
This is a urgent problem. The science is irrefutable (it’s basic chemistry, really) and the consequences are already being measured. The good news is that we know what we have to do–we must decrease the amount of fossil fuels we burn– and we know how to do it: increased efficiency (CFL bulbs, hybrid cars, Energy Star appliances), reduced personal use (shutting off the lights, choosing to walk instead of drive), and changing from polluting power sources (coal, oil) to non-polluting sources (wind, geo-thermal and solar). The first two are within the control of each and every one of us, but to tackle the third we need smart, courageous leaders to implement laws that will force us into a green energy future.
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