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*Poses threat to marine life, climate stability
A new report by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) revealed that the world’s oceans are close to becoming too acidic which would pose a significant threat to marine life or affect the stability of the climate.
The crucial threshold for ocean acidification could soon be breached, according to the PIK’s first Planetary Health Check.
The safe boundaries that have already been crossed with the acidity level and affecting climate change includee; the loss of natural species, natural habitat and freshwater; and a rise in pollutants, including plastics and chemical fertilisers used in agriculture.
The sustainable level of ocean acidification is now also set to be exceeded, largely as a result of ever-increasing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) created by burning fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas.
“As CO2 emissions increase, more of it dissolves in sea water… making the oceans more acidic,” Boris Sakschewski, one of the lead authors, told reporters.
“Even with rapid emission cuts, some level of continued acidification may be unavoidable due to the CO2 already emitted and the time it takes for the ocean system to respond,” he explained.
“Therefore, breaching the ocean acidification boundary appears inevitable within the coming years.”
With the heightened acidic level, corals, shellfish and the phytoplankton that feeds a host of marine species will come into extinct.
This means it would also disrupts food supplies for billions of people, as well as limiting the oceans’ capacity to absorb more CO2 and thus help limit global warming.
Also, the implication of the acidity concerning concentrations of minute particles in the atmosphere could trigger heart and lung diseases -– is close to the danger limit.
But the researchers said the risk showed signs of receding slightly due to efforts by several countries to improve air quality, such as banning the most pollutant petrol and diesel cars.
They warned, industrialized countries to address the situation, adding that "concentrations of fine particles could still soar in countries that are rapidly industrialising."
All nine planetary boundaries are “interconnected” so breaching one crucial limit can destabilise Earth’s entire life system, Sakschewski said.
