A global panel of respected scientists has discovered that the state of the seas is ‘much worse’ than previously feared, and that marine life is threatened with mass extinction 'within one human generation.'
Oceans throughout the globe are facing a loss of species that is ‘unprecedented in human history,’ and can only be compared to the great mass extinctions of prehistory.
A report, compiled by these scientists, has found that the rapid degeneration of the seas is due to the combined impact of climate warming, sea-water acidification, widespread chemical pollution and gross overfishing.
The panel of 27 scientists concluded that the above "combination of stressors is creating the conditions associated with every previous major extinction of species in Earth's history."
"The findings are shocking," said Dr Alex Rogers, professor of conservation biology at Oxford University and IPSO's scientific director. "As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the oceans, the implications became far worse than we had individually realised.
"This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level,” he told The Independent. “We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, in the lifetime of our children and generations beyond that."
The report was compiled by a panel of leading marine scientists brought together in Oxford earlier this year by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They will present their report to the UN in New York later this week.
"The world's leading experts on oceans are surprised by the rate and magnitude of changes we are seeing," added Dan Laffoley, the IUCN's senior adviser on marine science and conservation. "The challenges for the future of the ocean are vast, but, unlike previous generations, we know now what needs to happen. The time to protect the blue heart of our planet is now, today and urgent."
[You can find out more on www.independent.co.uk].