Climate change threatens our oceans more than ever before — here’s what you can do to help
Oceans make up over 70% of the Earth’s surface, giving rise to the name Blue Planet. Oceans hold about 96.5% of all water on Earth and cover 70% of the planet’s surface. Despite its enormity, our oceans are fragile, home to delicate ecosystems and vulnerable species.
And today, they are risk — and climate change is to blame.
Oceans absorb about 93% of heat from greenhouse gases and 30% of total carbon dioxide emissions. As these increase, our oceans become hotter and more acidic, which causes coral reefs to die, nutrients to disappear (in turn reducing the number of fish) and forces species to move to cooler waters.
These changes also raise the sea level. In the last one hundred years, thermal expansion and ice melt have resulted in sea levels rising by an unprecedented 8-9 inches, putting coastal communities at risk of flooding and endangering human and animal life.
In the Arctic and Antarctic, climate change melts polar ice by more than 300 billion tons annually, changing the composition of the oceans, heating the planet, and reducing food sources.
While the problems facing our oceans may seem insurmountable, it isn’t too late. We can fight climate change and its impact on our oceans by contributing to organizations on the frontlines of change. Don’t wait for WORLD OCEAN DAY tomorrow, donate now protect the world’s OCEANS.
