Massive oyster die-offs in the Pacific Northwest are linked to increases in ocean acidification caused by carbon dioxide emissions, according to a recently released study published in Limnology and Oceanography. 

According to the Center for Biological Diversity: 

Each day the oceans absorb 22 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution from cars and industry, setting off an unprecedented chemical reaction that, since the Industrial Revolution, has made the world’s oceans 30 percent more acidic.

Today, ocean acidification is making it hard for animals such as corals and oysters to grow and survive. It’s also eroding the shells of tiny plankton that form the basis of the marine food web — which, left unchecked, will result in large-scale problems up the food chain for sea stars, salmon, sea otters, whales and ultimately humans, many of whom rely on seafood to survive.

A conservative estimate of the damage our oceans will face from emissions-related problems — including impacts on fisheries, sea-level rise and tourism, as well as storm costs — amounts to $428 billion a year by 2050 and nearly $2 trillion per year by the century’s end.

Photo: NOAA