The World's oceans are in a greater decline than once thought according to a report of an expert panel of scientists brought together by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO). They claim ocean life is "at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history".
Alex Rogers, IPSO's scientific director, stated that "almost right across the board we're seeing changes that are happening faster than we'd thought, or in ways that we didn't expect to see for hundreds of years."
The report has recognised that pollution, over-fishing and climate change are acting together in ways that have never before been recognised. The amount of carbon dioxide that is being absorbed into the World's oceans is so high that the IPSO recommends urgent research takes place to find more efficient ways of removing the gas from the air and bring carbon dioxide levels down to zero within 20 years.
The Earth has seen five mass extinctions in its history, and the IPSO explain that low levels of oxygen, the warming of the oceans and acidification are synonymous with such incidents, and the evidence suggests that these three factors are rising again. If the decline of the oceans is not stopped, we could see a mass extinction of ocean life, including the coral reefs.
The IPSO warns that the knock-on effects of this may not only seriously harm ocean life, but could impact on humans in the near and distant future. They recommend that pollutants such as plastics and fertilisers, which can cause a lack of oxygen in the oceans, are reduced and that greenhouse gas emissions are sharply reduced.
Current legislation, such as the Climate Change Act 2008, make the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions a compulsory requirement. Such a requirement, alongside the prevention of over-fishing and reduction of pollution, is now clearly vitally important if the decline of the oceans is to be slowed down and stopped.
As Dan Laffoley, the author of the report, stated, "The time to protect the blue heart of our planet is now".
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