June 8 was the annual World Oceans Day marked by the United Nations. This week the campaign body Ocean and Climate Platform is running a series of events deigned to raise public awareness of the environmental risks faced by the major seas of the world.
The Ocean and Climate Platform is made up of non-governmental organizations and research institutes, and it is part funded by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
The theme of the current campaign is “Ocean’s call for Climate.” Central to this is a new petition. The petition calls upon delegates at the forthcoming United Nations Climate Convention to place the oceans at the heart of climate negotiations. The key point is the role that oceans play in providing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide; which are important factors that, if disrupted, could contribute towards climate change.
While the oceans reduce climate change risks by storing large quantities of carbon dioxide, it also stands that increased levels of dissolved carbon alter the chemistry of seawater and can make it more acidic. This affects different types of sea life and has been linked with a decrease in oceanic biodiversity.
Furthermore, evidence collated by the United Nations (UN) suggests that ocean temperatures have risen over the past 50 years. This has an impact on sea levels and currents. With this physical change, a UN statement indicates: “Ocean ecosystems are degrading. Corals, which sustain so much of marine life, are vulnerable to bleaching and even death caused by warmer temperatures.”
These are some of the motivations behind the Ocean and Climate Platform and its current campaign.
Commenting on this and the campaign in general, Françoise GAILL, Coordinator of the Scientific Committee of the Ocean and Climate Platform, stated: “Taking action to maintain a healthy ocean, and finding solutions to mitigate the impacts of this disruption is the only way that our society will continue to benefit from the many services rendered by the ocean.”