Our Oceans Are Facing a Mass Extinction

Global warming is a thing. While some politicians might continue to yell at the top of their voices about how they’re not scientists and how we can’t really tell if global warming is the fault of humans, literally almost all scientists say that it’s real and it’s happening and that we need to do something about it or face consequences that we haven’t even begun to imagine. One of the worst effects (out of all of the terrible effects) of global warming is the mass extinctions that are going to strike many of our best-known and most loved animals around the world, like polar bears. Nature takes a long time to evolve and the earth is changing at a rate that is just too fast for all but the most adaptable flora and fauna to keep up with and avoid extinction.

One of the areas that is being the hardest hit by the global changes in temperature are the oceans. As everyone knows, the oceans cover about 70% of our planet, if not more. With 96% of all of the earths water found in the oceans, the ramifications of a massive change in the oceans would be literally incalculable. With that in mind, the fact that scientists around the world are saying that the oceans are on the brink of a mass extinction event unlike humans have ever seen should be a clarion call to arms in defense of the earth and our environment. Even though less animals will go extinct than if this were to happen on land (fewer species go extinct in the water), the fact remains that fish populations will be harmed which in turn will have a ripple effect on both marine life as well as people who rely on the ocean for commercial interests and sustenance.

While the news sounds horrible, scientists are stressing that this can be reversed if immediate action is taken. With 40% of coral reefs dead or dying and water acidity increasing due to atmospheric CO2, it’s up to governments and people around the world to wake up and take control of the only earth they have. This planet is our home and it’s about time that we take responsibility for it and help the climate change deniers and those in businesses who profit off the destruction of the earth to realize what they’re doing.

If you’d like to read more, the link is here.

from David Fratantoni Oceanography http://ift.tt/1JdPECn

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