Today in Cancun the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report titled “Environmental Consequences of Ocean Acidification: A Threat to Food Security.” The report investigates the impacts of increasing carbon dioxide emissions on the world’s oceans. As the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises, the amount of carbon dioxide that dissolves in the ocean rises as well. As a result, the pH of the oceans falls and the oceans become more acidic. This process is referred to as ocean acidification and it is now thought to have a significant impact on the world’s oceans.

The report sheds light on the consequences of ocean acidification on marine organisms, which may alter species and force damaging changes to marine ecosystems. These consequences may ultimately alter human activities related to the world’s oceans, including fishing and tourism. It is expected that increases in ocean acidification in the future, due to increased carbon dioxide emissions, would impact the food chain of billions of people that rely on world’s oceans for food. It is certainly a growing issue.

The press release and report can be found here.

Written by KEVIN REED.