Global Warming

As we approach Earth Day on April 22, the U.S. pledge to cut its carbon emissions by up to 28 percent by 2025 is certainly cause for optimism. However, one reason why climate change merits urgent action is often overlooked: ocean acidification.

According to the International Programme on the State of the Oceans our CO2 emissions have caused the oceans to become 26 percent more acidic since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and this is occurring at a rate that has not been seen in at least 300 million years.

Acidification dissolves the cells of shell-building organisms like zooplankton and...