‘The Other CO2 Problem’: How Acidic Oceans Will Cost Our Economy Billions

The growing acidity of the world’s oceans could cost the global economy $1 trillion by 2100 if humans don’t stop putting so much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to an extensive report compiled by 30 experts worldwide and released Wednesday by the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity.

Oceans have absorbed so much carbon dioxide emitted from power plants, deforestation, manufacturing, and driving, that their acid levels have increased by a staggering 26 percent over the last 200 years, the report said.  The disruption of the ocean’s natural pH levels are directly impacting the health of marine life and ecosystems and scientists emphasize that if these trends continue unchecked, it could be both horribly detrimental for the world economy and largely irreversible for thousands of years.

“The oceans are facing major threats due to rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” said Braulio Terreira de Souza Dias, the Convention’s executive director, in a statement accompanying the report.  “In addition to driving global climate change, increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide affect ocean chemistry, impacting marine ecosystems and compromises the health of the oceans and their ability to provide important services to the global community.”

Wednesday’s report is intended to be the most up-to-date compilation of what we currently know about ocean acidification — one of the biggest and least talked about effects of global warming — and what we know so far about its effects.  It draws on hundreds of peer-reviewed papers published in the last few years to provide a comprehensive guide.

‘The Other CO2 Problem’:  How Acidic Oceans Will Cost Our Economy Billions