The Perishing Oceans

The Perishing Oceans

By Dr Arvind Kumar

A consortium of scientists, under the aegis of the International Program on the State of the Ocean (IPSO), has recently warned that oceans are at dire risk. Having examined the synergistic effects of diverse factors on the oceans for the first time, the group found that oceans are speeding toward biological collapse faster than predicted. IPSO's research and analysis is one of the most extensive and collaborative ever undertaken. IPSO found that entire ecosystems, like coral reefs, are dying, complete populations of certain species of fish are close to extinction and pollution is at an all-time high. These various factors are bad enough in isolation, but the comprehensive study found that they add up much more quickly than previously understood. The scientific studies concluded that the ocean is entering a period exhibiting the same symptoms as the five previous mass extinctions in Earth's history. Parts of the ocean have already turned into dead zones and garbage patches. Even more disturbing are the rapid increases in the three main predictors of extinction: ocean warming, acidification and hypoxia, or de-oxygenation. Each of these factors is exacerbating the others at a speed and seriousness unprecedented in human history.

India has a deep and abiding connection to the ocean. It should initiate action to slow this destruction on priority basis. India can take the lead in devising constructive steps to halt what seems an imminent collapse of the ocean's ability to sustain life. More sustainable fishery policies must be instituted, including establishing protected areas for fish populations to re-establish themselves and safe habitats in both deep water and coastal areas. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions, nutrient runoff from farming and pollution in the seas will immediately help to slow the damage.

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