Ocean Acidification

What Causes Ocean Acidification?

Ocean acidification is caused by our release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from energy production, deforestation, industry, transportation, heating and cooling our buildings, agriculture and meat production. Civilization is currently carbon intensive – we have released one quadrillion pounds of CO₂ into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. Oceans absorb roughly one-quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions and this makes our oceans more acidic[1. Natural Resources Defense Council & NOAA.].

CO₂: The Cost of Progress

When humans discovered fire, the power of burning fossil fuels, and the use of engines, our carbon emissions skyrocketed and our forests began to disappear. Over the past 250 years, since the Industrial Revolution, we have released massive quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Some think the ocean is too big to be impacted by pollution, they are wrong. When the carbon dioxide levels in our air increase, so do the levels in our oceans. Oceans are now absorbing carbon dioxide at a rate of 22 million tonnes a day and climbing.