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A joint statement from the Royal Society and sixty-nine other academies around the world has called for ocean acidification to be on the agenda for the UN climate change talks at Copenhagen in December. Ocean acidification is regarded as one of the most potentially damaging effects of climate change because of its effects on coral reefs and marine diversity.
Prof John Spicer, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Plymouth , said:
“Ocean acidification really must be discussed at Copenhagen. We aren’t yet sure of how great the problem is, particularly long term but there are some concerning findings that need to be examined. In my opinion, the greatest impact is from global warming and rising sea temperatures as a whole, but we don’t yet know the part that acidification will play in this. We do know that we are now in a time with higher levels of acidification than have been seen in millions of years.”
Dr Jason Hall-Spencer, Lecturer in Marine Biology, University of Plymouth, said:
“This is one of the most important environmental issues facing the planet. It is estimated that by 2100, CO2 released by human activity will be double pre industrial levels and be higher than at any time in the past few million years, dramatically reducing the pH of our oceans. We are not sure of the long-term consequences, but there are areas of the world in nature that give a window into the future, such as volcanic vents that give off very high levels of CO2. My research suggests acidification will have a massive impact on marine life that are vital to the food chain.”