Apparently it is. An article I read called Seas Turn to Acid as They Soak Up CO2 , states that
"Every day the oceans absorb more than 25m tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,' said Hall-Spencer. 'If it were not for the oceans, levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would be far higher than they are today and the impact of climate change would be far worse. However, there is a downside: it is called ocean acidification.
Scientists calculate that the seas are absorbing so much carbon dioxide that they are 30 per cent more acidic than they were at the start of the Industrial Revolution. The change is three times greater and has happened 100 times faster than at any other time during the past 20 million years."
And the effect of ocean acidification resulted in
• Biodiversity of plants and fish has dropped by 30 per cent
• Algae vital for binding coral reefs have been wiped out
• Invasive 'alien' species, such as sea-grasses, are thriving
• Coral and sea urchins have been destroyed, while mussels and clams are failing to grow shells.
So pretty much, as humans spew so much carbon dioxide into the air, the ocean is absorbing it, and in turn is ruining life. It makes those CO2 emission taxes seem a little more sensible, doesn't it? And it makes the whole going green idea a little more logical, because if we keep poisoning the ocean, people who rely on seafood are going to starve, and many will die. It sounds cliche, and perhaps repeated, but just take a second to think about all the countries and people that rely on seafood to survive. The projection of the of seafood running out by 2050, these reports aren't making the situation anymore comforting. People of South Asia, and the South Pacific rely on seafood to satisfy 100% of their need of animal protein.
So in essence, unless we change our ways, our race is going to suffer catastrophic consequences. I'm sure you know that our practices are bringing about extremely negative ramifications, but I just wanted to bring this one example to light. I knew that CO2 was causing the ocean to turn acidic, but I didn't realize the real threat, and pulling together this information help me see the dire need to change.
