Ocean Acidification: Global Warming's Evil Twin

A Global Carbon Footprint

Because of the industrial revolution in the world since the 1800s, daily emissions of greenhouse gases have risen to incredible numbers. The most common and prominent of these gases is carbon dioxide (or CO2). The revolution has resulted in roughly 40 billion tons of CO2 released into the air every year. Half of this outflow is absorbed by the ocean, causing drastic alterations in the water chemistry, which, in turn, affects aquatic life cycles - especially in animals that are lower in the food chain.

For billions of years, Earth's oceans have maintained a healthy, stable balance of acid in the water. This level is roughly 8.1 on the pH scale, and sustainable for all marine life. In recent years, however, studies show that this number is being changed, causing a drop in pH - and a rise in acidity. This acidification of the ocean, if it continues, can have devastating consequences on a global scale.

Devastating Effects on Humans

Before recent studies, there was no proof that the ocean was taking any damage from humanity's total carbon footprint, and was continued to be treated as a storehouse for the abundance of CO2. But recent studies have shown that the oceans can't simply dispose of CO2, and these alarming amounts of carbonic acid in the water are destroying natural habitats. The increase in acidity has been proven to affect hard shell organisms (such as corals, lobster, shrimp, and planktonic organisms) and cause birth defects in fish.

Over one billion people rely on marine life for daily protein, in the form of things like fish, lobster and shrimp. 29 million tons of fish a year are for human consumption. Planktonic organisms - specifically, phytoplankton - produce between 50 and 80% of the oxygen in the atmosphere. 90% of marine life is directly or indirectly dependent on the coral reefs that are being overfished, mined, polluted, and destroyed. The entire oceanic food chain, which includes humans, is delicate, and the removal of even one of these variables could be disastrous.

Fighting For Our Oceans

A team of activists, including photographer Shawn Heinrichs, photojournalist Paul Hilton, and race car driver Leilani Munter, have stepped up to travel the world filming a movie to bring attention to the possibility of a sixth mass extinction. Their movie, titled Racing Extinction, was filmed in countless oceans and third-world areas, teaching others how to step up and save their oceans. The team even projected photos and clips of endangered species on the Empire State Building, in Wall Street, on the Vatican in Rome, St. Peter's Basilica, and dozens of other places.

Penguins on the Vatican in Rome

St. Peter's Basilica

The same team has also launched an interactive website where viewers can learn anything, from simple ways to reduce their daily emissions to how to petition petition for the protection of endangered species.

But the activists of Racing Extinction aren't alone. The Case Foundation, The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation are all proud and active supporters. During his speech at the Oscars, Leonardo DiCaprio thanked his supporters, and then used his time to talk about the environment. "Climate change is real. It is happening right now. It is a most urgent threat, facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters and the big corporations, but who speak for all of humanity [...]."

Citations:

"Ocean Acidification -- Pristine Seas -- National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. <http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/explore/pristine-seas/critical-issues-ocean-acidification/>.

"Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rise to 2.4 Million Pounds per Second."CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/carbon-dioxide-emissions-rise-to-24-million-pounds-per-second/>.

"Ocean Facts." Ocean Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. <http://www.savethesea.org/STS%20ocean_facts.htm>.

"CORAL REEF DESTRUCTION AND CONSERVATION - Coral Reefs - Ocean World." CORAL REEF DESTRUCTION AND CONSERVATION - Coral Reefs - Ocean World. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. <http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/coral/coral5.htm>.

"The Film." Racing Extinction. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. <http://racingextinction.com/the-film/>.