5 Human Habits Harmful to Ocean Health

By Jaymi Heimbuch, Planet Green

No matter where we live, even if we’re in the middle of the Mojave desert or the middle of farmland in the mid-west, our connection to the ocean is surprisingly direct. The planet’s marine systems are intricately linked with our daily activities, even when those activities seem trivial or distant. Here are five ways small choices add up to big problems for the ocean’s health.

1. Carbon Emissions and Ocean Acidification

Every time we flip on the lights, turn on the water faucet, charge a cell phone, hop a plane or in any other way create carbon emissions, we’re directly causing the acidification of the ocean and the harmful disruption of marine life that results. The ocean can absorb about two-thirds of the carbon emissions in the atmosphere, but the more CO2 it tries to absorb, the more acidic it becomes. This altered pH causes everything from the softening or thickening of crustacean shells to the bleaching of corals to the overabundance of jellyfish. As we pump more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, ocean acidification worsens and marine life is being thrown out of whack.

Decisions like skipping an unnecessary plane ride, eating less meat, and buying green power can radically reduce your carbon footprint, and help alleviate one of the biggest threats facing our oceans.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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LMj S.

9:05AM PDT on Sep 14, 2012

Thank you for article.

September 14
send a green star

9:04AM PDT on Sep 14, 2012

Loo S.

1:00AM PDT on Jun 18, 2012

noted

June 18
send a green star

chris b.

9:05AM PDT on Jun 8, 2012

'We' are so bad. Nature is how we survive. They are taking that away from us. It pains me to see this happening. To creatures that can't fight back. Very sad. Let's send this to all of our friends and post to our facebook pages so it spreads everywhere. We need to make people more aware. Especially our representatives, etc. Vote for the environment.