<
https://theconversation.com/the-ocean-is-our-greatest-climate-regulator-it-must-be-a-stronger-part-of-climate-policy-and-action-171813>
"The German linguist Heinrich Zimmer once described the ocean as “limitless and
immortal … the beginning and end of all things on Earth”.
Standing on the shores of any ocean, one can easily sense this. Yet, the more
we reveal about the myriad processes within the world’s oceans, the more we
begin to question just how limitless and immortal the ocean truly is.
The ocean is one of the Earth’s greatest climate regulators. It absorbs almost
a third of emitted carbon dioxide and more than 90% of excess heat. But the
latest scientific report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) revealed the ocean may be nearing a tipping point.
Historic levels of ocean acidification, warming and deoxygenation (oxygen loss)
are irreversibly affecting marine biodiversity and critical ecosystem
functions.
Despite a critical need to incorporate the ocean into climate policies, a
connection between climate, ocean and biodiversity regimes has been slow to
form.
The Glasgow Climate Pact, decided during COP26 earlier this month, may herald a
new age. For the first time, the ocean was formally included in UN climate
negotiation processes.
A request was also made for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) to hold an annual Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue to strengthen
ocean-based action."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
