Urgent action to halt greenhouse gas emissions is needed to limit damages to marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and fisheries, according to a declaration issued Friday by more than 150 marine experts from 26 countries.
The Monaco Declaration on Ocean Acidification, released at an international symposium in Nice, warns that ocean acidification may render most regions
of the ocean inhospitable to coral reefs by 2050, if atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)
levels continue to increase. It could lead to substantial changes in
commercial fish stocks, threatening food security for millions of
people as well as the multi-billion dollar fishing industry.
The ocean absorbs a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere from human activities. Observations from the last 25 years show increasing acidity in surface seawater, following trends in increasing atmospheric CO2.
“Measured recent increases in ocean acidity follow exactly what is expected from basic chemistry; meanwhile, key ocean regions reveal decreases in shell weights and corals that are less able to build skeletal material,” explains Dr. James Orr, of the Marine Environment Laboratories (MEL-IAEA), Monaco and Chairman of the symposium’s International Scientific Committee.
According to Dr. Hermann Held of the Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research, Germany, who helped craft the Declaration, “About 2%
of the Gross World Product would need to be invested in energy
production, efficiency and usage to reach the stabilisation target of
450 ppm, a cost considered to be tolerable by most economists”.
A recent report by McKinsey & Co. suggested an investment of 1% of world domestic product could cut greenhouse gases 35% below 1990 levels by 2030.
Prince Albert II of Monaco, whose environmental foundation provided support for the symposium. said, “I hope the declaration will be heard by all the political leaders meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009.”
A detailed report of research priorities from the Monaco Symposium is available at the link below.
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