Oceana | Protecting the World's Oceans

Global warming is increasing ocean temperatures and raising sea levels, creating a host of problems for the oceans and ocean wildlife.

Recent discoveries have revealed that global warming is not the only problem for the oceans resulting from the massive amounts of carbon dioxide we are releasing into the atmosphere.

These excessive amounts of carbon dioxide are actually changing the chemistry of the oceans, making them more acidic.

Ocean acidification will have major adverse effects on tropical as well as cold-water corals and other marine life, especially those that produce shells. The loss of many coral species will negatively impact the oceans and ocean-dependent economies, such as fishing and tourism.

Oceana is working to reduce the cause and effects of ocean acidification by promoting government policies to cap CO₂ emissions, advocating for energy efficiency and alternative energy sources such as wind power and more.

In December 2009, a team from Oceana attended the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The team held side events about ocean acidification and ads were displayed in the city's Metro system about the effect of climate change on the oceans. See the ads, read the team's blogs and watch video from the conference here.