Next to overfishing and coastal pollution, global warming is causing great damage to the oceans. The damage is greater since the last 60years or so. The earth’s ecosystem is very fragile to withstand this onslaught by mankind. These revelations are brought out by two environmental organizations, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Marine Conservation Biology Institute. These reports clearly highlight the impact of global warming on tropical reefs, polar-ice edges, zooplankton, polar bears, and other marines.
A two-degree rise in temperature is sufficient to wipe out almost all the existing coral reefs, say the experts. It is authoritatively reported that the loss of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef due to global warming would cost a whopping $37.7 billion during the next century. The climate scientists predict that this reef could lose 95% of its living coral by 2050 if ocean temperature rises by 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The latest finding on greenhouse gases is startling indeed. Choking oceans due to rising greenhouse gases cause elimination of marine ecosystem thus affecting the food chain of millions of people. And the damages are irreversible. This affects the natural marine habitats and marine food supply in addition to changing the ocean chemistry. Migration of the marine life along the east and west coasts as also the extinction of some organisms are also happening now. Also the ocean circulation changes due to global warming would be disastrous for the marine fisheries.
Kelp forests, marine life and coral reefs decline. Disease among the marine life is on the rise.
Yes, such changes that have not occurred for millions of years are now happening due to global warming. Fossil records reveal a similar ocean warming about 50 million years ago and it was only after 100,000 years that the oceans recovered from this.
Can we prevent this and save the marine life? Yes of course, if only we implement some simple suggestions provided by experts.
These are: Eat eco-friendly fish. Avoid or at least restrict the use of plastics, disposables and single-use projects. Adopt energy-efficient measures. Do not release balloons, which are a danger to wildlife. Do not leave the fishing lines into the water as it takes about 600 years to degrade thus endangering marine life for 600 years.
And finally, try to take part in marine conservation efforts.
Image: Google
Source: Google
