The World Meteorological Organization’s annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin has some unhappy news for we earthlings. Last year saw the largest increase in greenhouse gas concentrations since 1984. Most people focus on the increased energy (temperature) in the atmosphere, but what has me most worried is actually the acidification of the oceans.
The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reports on atmospheric concentrations – and not emissions – of greenhouse gases. Emissions represent what goes into the atmosphere. Concentrations represent what remains in the atmosphere after the complex system of interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere and the oceans. About a quarter of the total emissions are taken up by the oceans and another quarter by the biosphere, reducing in this way the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
The ocean cushions the increase in CO2 that would otherwise occur in the atmosphere, but with far-reaching impacts. The current rate of ocean acidification appears unprecedented at least over the last 300 million years, according to an analysis in the report.
“We know without any doubt that our climate is changing and our weather is becoming more extreme due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.
“The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin shows that, far from falling, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere actually increased last year at the fastest rate for nearly 30 years. We must reverse this trend by cutting emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases across the board,” he said. “We are running out of time.”
“Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for many hundreds of years and in the ocean for even longer. Past, present and future CO2 emissions will have a cumulative impact on both global warming and ocean acidification. The laws of physics are non-negotiable,” said Mr Jarraud.
I can foresee ways to adapt to rising ocean levels or even to a world with more powerful storms and a changing climate. But I don’t know how to adapt to a world where our oceans are so acidic that that most life forms can’t survive.
Maybe its because we don’t live in our oceans that we don’t focus on this part of climate change as much as we should, but I think it’s the biggest danger that we face.
