Ocean acidification will soon be irreversible, costing $400bn

Published by Back to Blue, a new report Ocean Acidification: Time for Action calls on international government action to step up in a bid to prevent the worst case scenario from unfolding. It also criticises the majority of countries for ‘ocean blindness’, and failing to factor this issue into climate change adaptation and mitigation plans. 

Currently, just 12 countries have in the world have ocean acidification action plans, yet if the problem is allowed to persist and become worse, some $400billion could be wiped off the global economy. 

As oceans are allowed to become more acidic, a direct result of absorbing increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, the effect on marine life is unforgiving, including the creation of so-called ‘dead zones’, and the destruction of finely balanced ecosystems. In turn, this is a major threat to the survival of coastal communities, many of which have developed due to the abundant riches found under water, not least fisheries, meaning the livelihoods of vast swathes of people now hangs in the balance.

According to data, policy advice and research institution the OECD, globally some three billion people rely on oceans for their income. In the U.S., for example, almost half the national GDP is tied to counties that are coastal adjacent, and more than three-million jobs, or one-in-45, are directly dependent on resources within the sea or Great Lakes. 

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You can read the full report here.

Martin Guttridge-Hewitt, Environmental Journal, 21 November 2023. More information.

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