A detailed study revealed that Unchecked Global Emissions Can Lead To Mass Marine Extinctions. This has been making the headlines for quite some time. Marine life on the planet earth has been badly threatened. The emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc- not only affect human life but also the wildlife, including the fishes, plants and other creatures living in the water bodies. Let’s find out more about it!
Unchecked Global Emissions Can Lead To Mass Marine Extinctions
This study has been published in the April 2022 issue of the journal, Science. It says that within a century, climate change rather the global warming will bring ill results to marine biodiversity. Moreover, if the number of emissions is maintained on the same track as it is at present, the oceans would continue to warm. This in turn would result in the plummet of marine life within the next few centuries. There will be a chance of extinction, just like the way dinosaurs have gotten extinct completely.
The emissions of greenhouse gases trap a high amount of energy from the sun, making the ocean water warm. For this, the supply of oxygen inside the water decreases. Eventually, it increases the metabolic demand of marine animals. This means they will need more oxygen to find their food which they aren’t pretty adapted for. The losses can’t be detected easily as the oceans are very deep and intense. However, as per the study, it affects 45% of the marine biodiversity. Some of the other stressors are overfishing, urbanisation, pollution, etc. This change in climate can overpower all of them, when it comes to harming marine lives. More precisely, the Arctic and Tropical oceans are among the most vulnerable ones.
However, there is always hope. If the warming of the oceans can be limited to 2°C, that would cut off the extremity of the marine extinction by over 70%. Still, enough time is there to change the tragedy of such emissions and prevent the warming magnitude.
To save our ecosystem, global leaders need to take the necessary steps for these continuous harmful emissions.
