Based on a recent study conducted by investigators at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, CO2 emissions may cause ocean species to go extinct in the near future unless new measures are adopted. Authorities have used the findings of the new study to persuade world leaders to adopt an agreement during this December’s UN meeting in Paris.
As the UN conference is getting near, many more activists and celebrities get involved in teh fight against world pollution.
After studying the levels of CO2 emissions in air, scientists have turned their attention towards the waters of the ocean and they have noticed that the alarmingly high quotes of carbon dioxide could cause many of the ocean species to go extinct.
The recent study compared the various levels of emissions that were registered in the past decades. Figures indicate that ocean waters get more polluted each year, climate changes being the main factors leading to this fact.
By comparing the various climate alterations that took place within the past years, researchers have noticed that waters tend to get increasingly warmer, too. This aspect could favor the extinction of many water species, who cannot adapt themselves to warmer underwater habitats.
The higher the CO2 levels get, the more acidic the water becomes, scientists have explained. Some species may be able to survive within these conditions, but, most of the times, fish reproduction and feeding is hindered by lower PH levels.
The environmental problem has become all the more cumbersome as the integrity of the Atlantic icebergs is also threatened by the rising CO2 levels and, consequently, by the higher temperatures. Great part of the Atlantic ice shelf has melted leaving artic animals without a proper environment.
Humans could soon be deprived of many of the resources that the ocean waters are offering as a result of the higher CO2 levels. Once waters will no longer absorb carbon dioxide emissions in the air, humans will no longer benefit of the oxygen they need to survive.
Among the many solutions that activists have suggested to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, environmental organizations have also urged world leaders to eliminate activities that contribute to the growth of the greenhouse effects.
In addition, they claim much more attention should be paid to the ecosystem of the ocean as most studies have only focused on the pollution of the atmosphere.
Image source: salon.com
AlgorithmicAnalyst says
There needs to be an international agreement that requires ships in international waters, even far out at sea, to use clean burning fuel. Ships burning dirty fuel, out of sight of land, are one of the worst sources of air pollution. Those dirty engines can be literally thousands of times worse than cleaner engines. But since they are not seen by the public when far out at sea, people aren’t generally aware of this problem. The nice thing is that it doesn’t cost much more to make the engines run cleaner. The bad thing is that some of the huge new ships being built are deliberately designed to run on the dirtiest fuel imaginable, because it is slightly cheaper.