If you're like a lot of people, you worry about rising electric bills and the price of gas at the pumps, and you gasp in horror at the rising cost of air travel. You wish you could use greener transportation methods, but much of the time, you really don't have of an option, because corporations are slow to offer consumers alternate methods of getting from one place to another. Now, there's another reason to worry about our consumption of fossil fuels, for everything from creating electricity, to going on vacation. That problem is ocean acidification.
The Ocean's Changing Chemical Composition
Coastal towns and communities all over the world have been among the first to notice the changing chemical balance of the ocean, and the consequences that come with that shift. Over the past five years, scientists have been tracking a worrisome trend: human-generated carbon emissions are causing the ocean to become more acidic. That's having a negative impact on fish and other marine life, and on people who rely on healthy oceans for their livelihoods. In the long run, acidic oceans affect all of us.
The world's oceans absorb approximately thirty percent of the carbon dioxide we humans put into the air by burning fossil fuels. This, in turn, triggers a chemical reaction that produces hydrogen. When this happens, water's pH is lowered - and acid increases.
Today, scientists say that the planet's oceans are thirty percent more acidic than they were before industrialization. And, the problem is getting worse. At the current rate of carbon emissions worldwide, the ocean's acidity could potentially double by the year 2100. As acid is a corrosive substance, it is already causing some serious problems that will worsen over time, unless humanity significantly cuts carbon output.
First, the decline in pH is starting to disrupt the food web. Tiny corals and pteropds are having difficulty forming and maintaining sufficient shell mass, while some other creatures are undergoing blood chemical changes that are causing them to function improperly to the point where evading predators is virtually impossible. Oyster farmers are seeing young oysters die off because their shells aren't strong enough to withstand the acid in the water. These are changes that are happening right in front of us - they're not some vague future cataclysmic event that "might" happen. Ocean acidification is a real problem.
Despite what science knows, the solution to ocean acidification remains evasive. The obvious cure is to slash carbon emissions globally, but despite intense efforts to develop green energy solutions and deploy those solutions to mainstream consumers, coal, oil, and gas producers stand in the way.
There are a few different steps you can take to help reverse the ocean acidification trend. First, and most important, spread the word. Elected representatives and other heads of state need to understand that this is a problem which they must address. Second, shop locally and eat locally produced foods if at all possible. Third, cut back on your own fossil fuel consumption. Share a ride, take public transportation, or get to the places you need to go by using your own body's power to get there. Look for eco-vacation opportunities, and support people who are making the effort to invest in green technologies. Every little bit helps, and if we all pitch in, we can make a difference.