What is being done to address the problem?
- Oceana is working to reduce the cause and effects of ocean acidification by promoting government policies to cap CO2 emissions, eliminate offshore drilling, and by advocating for energy efficiency and alternative energy sources such as wind power and more.
- The Clean Water Act is the nation’s strongest law protecting water quality, and we’re using the tools provided by this law to stop pollution causing ocean acidification as well as to improve water-quality standards and monitoring for pH.
- Governor Gregoire convened the Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification in Feb. 2012, making Washington the first state in the nation to tackle ocean acidification. The Panel is recommending key actions against ocean acidification.
- The Governor also proposed a new Center for Ocean Acidification at the University of Washington; and $3.31 million in biennial state funding to the University of Washington, and the Departments of Ecology and Natural Resources to begin to implement the Panel’s key early actions.
- The Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act was enacted in 2009. Its purpose was to monitor and conduct research, establish an interagency research and monitoring program, establish a program in NOAA, assess impacts, and research adaptation strategies and techniques.
- In 2009, more that 150 leading marine scientists from 26 countries issued their concerns and warnings about ocean acidification in the Monaco Declaration; calling for immediate action to stop ocean acidification.
Take Action: What can we do?
- Lowering our CO2 emissions will help slow the impacts long enough to give the species living in the ocean to adapt.
- As individuals, we can simply:
- Turn off the lights
- Carpool
- Ride bicycles instead of cars
- Turn off energy-using items when it is not in use
- As a nation, we can cut back our emissions by:
- Encouraging personal energy conservation through a carbon tax, with a full, equal rebate to each American perhaps through their income tax returns.
- Support investment in alternative energy sources such as wind power, along with a high-efficiency power transmission network.
- Convert our coal-fired power plants to nature gas, which releases half the carbon dioxide per kilowatt generated.
We can work together to reduce ocean acidification and prevent the devastating effects in our future oceans!
"If we don't change our ways soon, in the next few decades we will destroy what took millions of years to create." says Caldeira, a researcher from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.