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Top Scientists Call on Governments at COP16 to Fund Ocean Acidification Research to Prevent Catastrophic Impacts: Economist Impact Reports
As the world pumps dangerous levels of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, the ocean, the planet's single largest carbon sink, cannot sequester it quickly enough. The excess levels of carbon dioxide lead to lower pH levels meaning increased acidity, in a process known as ocean acidification. OA poses a critical threat to marine life and, by extension, to food chains, ocean-reliant economies and livelihoods.
Eight in-depth interviews with world leading marine scientists and experts have culminated in an urgent call to policy makers to prioritise research that can categorically prove ocean acidification is one of the biggest threats to marine biodiversity. The scientists from UNESCO, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) are advocating for funding for a new research initiative that will integrate marine biology and chemistry to deepen the understanding of ocean acidification's role in biodiversity loss and establish its causal link to species decline.
Although 13 national and regional governments globally have OA action plans, efforts remain in the early stages of development. By contrast, the UN Global Plastics Treaty which will have huge repercussions on ocean and human health, is nearing the finish line. With OA however, we haven't even started the race.
At COP15 23 targets were set to stem biodiversity loss and restore natural ecosystems by 2030. Target 8 included minimising the impacts of ocean acidification on biodiversity. Advancing research into the field and successfully documenting the causality between OA and species decline will generate the urgency needed to force policy makers to act. OA considerations must be integrated into national biodiversity legislation, and countries must mandate plans to reduce OA impacts and keep track of progress the report emphasises.
Eight renowned ocean experts with Back to Blue call on policymakers and researchers alike to fund and implement rigorous and comprehensive data collection that can inform the policymaking we need to tackle this critical issue before it's too late.
The purpose of this report is to highlight the need for ocean scientists to prove causal links between ocean acidification (OA) and damage to marine species, and the challenges involved in doing so. The report is launching at COP16 two years after the previous conference adopted the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, target 8 of which mandates governments to minimise the impact of climate change and OA on biodiversity.
To create this report, Back to Blue conducted a series of in-depth interviews with eight marine scientists and other ocean experts representing WWF International, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), University of Tokyo , University of Gothenburg , University of Edinburgh , UNESCO, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Back to Blue is an initiative by Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation aimed to focus efforts on evidence-based approaches and solutions that tackle escalating ocean challenges. While governments and policymakers have begun efforts towards restoring biodiversity and regenerating ocean health, there remains an ostensible knowledge gap on plastic and chemical pollution as well as ocean acidification. Recognising the need to stimulate fresh solutions to these, the initiative brings together both organisations' unique capabilities in ocean research and programme-building to create a powerful platform which will accelerate momentum in improving ocean health.
Economist Impact combines the rigour of a think-tank with the creativity of a media brand to engage a globally influential audience. With framework design, benchmarking, economic and social impact analysis, forecasting and scenario modelling, Economist Impact provides creative storytelling, events expertise, design-thinking solutions and market-leading media products.
Established in 1962, The Nippon Foundation is Japan's largest philanthropic foundation. In ocean affairs, the Foundation aims to cultivate human resources who will chart a course for the ocean's future and to pass on the ocean's riches to future generations. Other primary areas of activity include support for children, persons with disabilities, disaster relief, and international cooperation.
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