Ocean Acidification Forcing Endless Marine Species to Extinction
By: Kaelyn Walls
Staff Writer
Published October 17, 2018
While the term “global warming” is familiar to the vast majority of Americans today, ocean acidification is a lesser-known, but equally important, environmental blight.
Ocean acidification is caused by carbon dioxide emissions that seep into the ocean water, changing the chemistry of the sea water on a fundamental level. Seawater is naturally a basic substance (it has a pH greater than 7). However, the permeation of human carbon dioxide emissions—which have continued to grow, reaching a record high this year—has caused seawater to shift toward a neutral pH value.
The decreasing pH is causing a negative impact on marine life, especially those that are calcium-dependent. This not only jeopardizes industries throughout the world—it pushes countless species to the brink of endangerment, both through danger to the animals themselves. Through the potential destruction of habitats, such as coral reefs, that hosts millions of species.
Taking this into consideration, a pressing question comes to mind: what can be done to stop it?
College students are notoriously low on cash. Between tuition, the astronomical costs of textbooks, and the challenging economic climate, they can hardly be expected to have extra money lying around to donate to environmental causes. So, rather than spend money, students can utilize some of the following cheap, easy ways to reduce ocean acidification:
- Reduce meat intake, especially red meat. That is not to say that people have to go fully vegetarian; simply reducing meat consumption to a few days a week massively reduces the greenhouse gases produced. Agribusiness creates more emissions on an annual basis than even fossil fuels. The average American eats roughly 200 pounds of meat in a year, a figure which continues to grow. Even a small decrease in consumption has the power to create huge change. With meat being one of the more expensive groceries available, cutting down can also help save money.
- Line-dry clothes. Though it may sound old-fashioned, one cycle of the dryer uses five times more energy than one cycle of the washer, which is the equivalent of powering 225 light bulbs for an hour.
- Eating local, organic foods. The transportation of food, particularly international produce, causes carbon emissions from various modes of transport, from gas-guzzling trucks to massive freight liners. Small local, organic farms also tend to use fewer pesticides.
- Invest in a garden. It does not have to be a large one, growing a few small plants helps scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- Drive less. Using public transportation, biking, or walking quickly and effectively cuts down on carbon emissions produced by vehicles.
Ocean acidification is a pressing issue that must be addressed, but that does not mean it has to be expensive. Simple tactics such as these can be easily employed to reduce carbon footprints; the environment will thank you for it.
