Member States in gearing
up their economies to incorporate clean
tech and renewable energies into national
climate, development and sectoral strategies
on the road to a low-carbon
future.
Monday, 14 December
2009 - The Secretariat of the Convention
on Biological Diversity released today a
major study, Scientific Synthesis of the
Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Marine
Biological Diversity.
The launch of the study,
which was prepared in collaboration with
the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(UNEP-WCMC), is a major event to mark Oceans
Day during the current climate change negotiations
in Copenhagen and highlights the direct
link between climate change, ocean health,
and human well-being.
According to the study,
seas and oceans absorb approximately one
quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted to
the atmosphere from the burning of fossil
fuels, deforestation, and other human activities.
As more and more carbon dioxide (CO2) has
been emitted into the atmosphere, the oceans
have absorbed greater amounts at increasingly
rapid rates. Without this level of absorption
by the oceans, atmospheric CO2 levels would
be significantly higher than at present
and the effects of global climate change
would be more marked.
However, the absorption
of atmospheric CO2 has resulted in changes
to the chemical balance of the oceans, causing
them to become more acidic. It is predicted
that by 2050, ocean acidity could increase
by 150%. This dramatic increase is 100 times
faster than any change in acidity experienced
in the marine environment over the last
20 million years, giving little time for
evolutionary adaptation within biological
systems.
"Ocean acidification
is irreversible on timescales of at least
tens of thousands of years, and substantial
damage to ocean ecosystems can only be avoided
by urgent and rapid reductions in global
emissions of CO2. Attention must be given
for integration of this critical issue at
the global climate change debate in Copenhagen,"
said Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary
of the Convention.
"This CBD study
provides a valuable synthesis of scientific
information on the impacts of ocean acidification,
based on the analysis of more than 300 scientific
literatures, and it describes an alarming
picture of possible ecological scenarios
and adverse impacts of ocean acidification
on marine biodiversity," he added.
Among other findings,
the study shows that increasing ocean acidification
will mean that by 2100 some 70% of cold
water corals, a key refuge and feeding ground
for commercial fish species, will be exposed
to corrosive waters. In addition, given
the current emission rates, it is predicted
that the surface water of the highly productive
Arctic Ocean will become under-saturated
with respect to essential carbonate minerals
by the year 2032, and the Southern Ocean
by 2050 with disruptions to large components
of the marine food source, in particular
those calcifying species, such as foraminifera,
pteropods, coccolithophores, mussels, oysters,
shrimps, crabs and lobsters, which rely
on calcium to grow and mature.
An emerging body of
research suggests that many of the effects
of ocean acidification on marine organisms
and ecosystems will be variable and complex
and will affect different species in different
ways. Evidence from naturally acidified
locations confirms, however, that although
some species may benefit, biological communities
under acidified seawater conditions are
less diverse and calcifying (calcium-reliant)
species absent.
Many questions remain
regarding the biological and biogeochemical
consequences of ocean acidification for
marine biodiversity and ecosystems, and
the impacts of these changes on oceanic
ecosystems and the services they provide,
for example, in fisheries, coastal protection,
tourism, carbon sequestration and climate
regulation.
Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy,
Biodiversity Chair of Heinz Center for Science,
Economics and the Environment, in the Preface
to the publication, noted: "This publication
by the CBD on the impacts of ocean acidification
on marine biodiversity is very timely and
germane, as it confirms again how great
the stakes of sustainability are in the
climate change negotiations".
"It is expected
that a continuing effort be made within
CBD, in collaboration with relevant international
organizations and scientific communities,
to build upon this publication, further
enhancing scientific research on ocean acidification,
particularly its biological and biogeochemical
consequences, including the accurate determination
of sub-critical levels of impacts or tipping
points for global marine species, ecosystems
and the services and functions they provide,"
he added.
The CBD Technical Series
No.46 is available at www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd-ts-46-en.pdf.
For More Information on the Report:
Jihyun Lee (CBD Secretariat)
Nicola Barnard (UNEP-WCMC)
Nick Nuttall (UNEP)
The Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD)
Launched at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro
in 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity
is an international treaty for the conservation
and sustainable use of biodiversity and
the equitable sharing of the benefits from
the utilization of genetic resources. With
192 members, the CBD has near-universal
participation among countries committed
to preserving life on Earth. The CBD seeks
to address all threats to biodiversity and
ecosystem services, including threats from
climate change, through scientific assessments,
the development of tools, incentives and
processes, the transfer of technologies
and good practices and the full and active
involvement of relevant stakeholders including
indigenous and local communities, youth,
non-governmental organizations, women and
the business community. The headquarters
of the Secretariat of the Convention is
located in Montreal.
For More Information
on CBD:
Marie Aminata Khan
Johan Hedlund
