Stark warning to governments ahead of Paris climate talks

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has contributed to a scientific paper published by the Oceans 2015 Initiative in the influential Science magazine and launched on the eve of the “Our common future under climate change” scientific conference in Paris. The paper evaluates and compares the risks of impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems and the services they provide under two potential carbon dioxide (CO2) emission pathways over this century. The paper reminds that the global ocean: absorbed 93% of the earth’s additional heat since the 1970s, keeping the atmosphere cooler but increasing ocean temperature; captured 28% of human-caused CO2 emissions since 1750, but acidifying the ocean; and collected virtually all water from melting ice, furthering sea-level rise. Impacts from anthropogenic CO2 emissions on key marine and coastal organisms, ecosystems and services are already detectable across all latitudes.

http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2015/07/stark-warning-to-governments-ahead-of-paris-climate-talks/