The days when it was OK to use the sky as a sewer and the sea as a cesspool are long over - modern civilization has become too large to consider the sea and sky as infinite. Yes, there are things we can do to help. Establishing and protecting marine reserves, avoiding unsustainable fishing, and decreasing coastal pollution can all help marine ecosystems be more resilient. Buying hybrid cars, using compact fluorescent light bulbs, and eating less meat all can help, but there is a limit to what individual action can do. Solving the ocean acidification problem will take societal resolve - our politicians must understand that they cannot ignore the health of the planet and expect to get re-elected. But the main solution to the ocean acidification problem is building an energy system that does not dump its waste into the air and ocean. We need power plants and transportation systems that do not depend on having smokestacks and tailpipes. When the dinosaurs became extinct, most of the marine species that created calcium carbonate shells became extinct at the same time - likely due to a brief ocean acidification event. It took hundreds of thousands of years for marine ecosystems to recover, and what eventually developed was not the same as what was lost. If we want our childrens children to be able to go down to the sea, and watch the sunset over crashing waves that are not corrosive, and want our childrens children be able to pick up a seashell and wonder where it came from - It came from volcanoes and dissolving mountains! - we should start building energy and transportation systems that respect the sea and sky.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 21:57:14 +0000
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