- #1
Skyhunter
Higher concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere means higher concentrations in the oceans. This means the oceans become more acidic. It is predicted that the PH will change from 8.1 currently, to 7.7 in 100 years.
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=169
This can have catastrophic effects on ocean flora and fauna. Whether or not one believes in AGW, the pollution and other side effects of burning fossil fuels should be reason enough to take action to curb the use of fossil fuels.
[Edit] Here is a link to the Royal Society press release. There is a link to the PDF and related articles as well.
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/document.asp?id=3249
The Royal Society has just issued a summary report on the effects of CO2 on the pH chemistry of seawater and aquatic organisms and ecosystems. In addition to its pivotal role in the atmosphere in the regulation of global climate, CO2 and its sister chemical species, HCO3- and CO32- comprise the carbonate buffer system which regulates the pH of seawater. The new report can be found here. Acidifying the ocean is particularly detrimental to organisms that secrete shell material made of CaCO3, such as coral reefs and a type of phytoplankton called coccolithophorids [Kleypas et al., 1999]. The ocean pH change will persist for thousands of years. Because the fossil fuel CO2 rise is faster than natural CO2 increases in the past, the ocean will be acidified to a much greater extent than has occurred naturally in at least the past 800,000 years [Caldeira and Wicket, 2003].
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=169
This can have catastrophic effects on ocean flora and fauna. Whether or not one believes in AGW, the pollution and other side effects of burning fossil fuels should be reason enough to take action to curb the use of fossil fuels.
[Edit] Here is a link to the Royal Society press release. There is a link to the PDF and related articles as well.
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/document.asp?id=3249
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