More Acidic Oceans Not a Pretty Picture

As important as optimism and hope are, we have to hear the bad news, too.  Keep it real as they say and there is a very real urgency here. 

The latest:  ocean acidification (caused by burning fossil fuels and putting carbon pollution into the air) is going to kill lots of marine life.  But we can take action to slow and eventually stop the damage.

"When carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, a significant fraction is passively taken up by the ocean in a form that makes the ocean more acidic. This acidification has been shown to be harmful to many species of marine life, especially corals and shellfish.

'Our concern is that the specific actions to counter such impacts as identified in current policy statements will prove inadequate or ineffective. A much broader evaluation of marine management and mitigation options must now be seriously considered,' wrote the authors of a new paper published in Nature Climate Change,"  according to the Summit County Voice. 

The connection between ocean health and climate change is direct and the impact is massive.  That is why my ocean conservation blog is also a clean energy blog.

If climate change is damaging the oceans and the land, emit fewer greenhouse gases. 

How to do that:

• Drive a hybrid, ride a bike
• Seek out alternative, renewable electricity in your house or apt (many utilities now offer programs to choose the source of your electricity -- choose renewables)
• Make your home energy efficient
• Put solar panels on your home if you can
• Use green data (online information stored at a company that is green or mostly green)
• Support clean energy businesses
• Vote for clean energy
• Know the issues, read the science, be informed
• Donate to non profits who are trying to move us faster to the green energy economy
• Tell everyone you know that this is the real deal and ask them to be a part

It's the right thing to do.

image: sciencedaily.com