Our Survival Depends on the Health of the Oceans - by The Washington Post Editorial Board

Humanity depends on the oceans, but their worsening state gets little attention.  Good for Secretary of State John F. Kerry, then, for trying to elevate the issue last week in an international oceans conference in Washington.  The conference produced a billion dollars in pledges for ocean programs, promises from other nations to better protect their marine ecosystems and the news that President Obama will set aside a vast portion of U.S. waters in the central Pacific for ecological conservation.  That’s all to the good. But the health of the oceans — sources of employment, recreation and food for billions — depends on what Mr. Kerry and those like him can get other nations to do.

Then there is the issue of ocean acidification, driven by the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  The ocean is absorbing huge amounts of the greenhouse gas, which will, over time, kill coral, shellfish and other creatures sensitive to a lower pH.  The problem demands worldwide effort, led by the United States, to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide pumped into the air.

Our Survival Depends on the Health of the Oceans - by The Washington Post Editorial Board