Climate change has become the defining environmental issue of our time. Virtually every day there is news about its impacts on the oceans, from whale deaths due to lack of food, to potential coral destruction from increased ocean acidity, to the disappearance of cold water species because of warming ocean temperatures. The oceans are suffering from climate change and more than ever before we all need to do our part to step up and protect them.

Oceana Climate Campaign News

Conservation Coalition and States Will Sue EPA to Reduce Global Warming Pollution from Ships and Planes: A coalition of conservation groups and state attorneys general filed formal letters warning of impending lawsuits over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's failure to address global warming pollution from ocean-going ships and aircraft. The conservation groups' notice of intent to sue was filed by Earthjustice on behalf of Oceana, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read Oceana's Press Release
Read the Letter of Intent to Sue the Environmental Protection Agency
Read Oceana's Report Shipping Impacts on Climate: A source with solutions
To find out more about how shipping contributes to climate change, click here.

No More Free Ride for Shipping: Oceana has petitioned the EPA to regulate global warming pollution from the shipping industry. The global shipping fleet is a major emitter of carbon dioxide and other global warming pollutants, pumping as much carbon dioxide into the air as all the cars used in the United States put together. In fact, ships emit more carbon dioxide worldwide than most individual countries emit from all sources - only six countries crank out more CO2 than the global shipping fleet. Yet these ship emissions are entirely unregulated. Oceana and its partners, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity have told EPA to stop giving shippers a free ride - our oceans are suffering from climate change and regulating shipping is one way to control it.
Click the following links for more information on shipping and climate change or to read the Petition or Oceana's Press Release.

No More Free Flying for Aircraft: Recently Oceana petitioned the EPA to regulate global warming pollution from ships. Now Oceana has petitioned the EPA to regulate airlines as well. The United States is responsible for nearly half of the worldwide carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft. Aviation represents one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to the significant contribution of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, there is mounting evidence that aircraft emissions have a significantly greater impact on global warming due to their release at high altitudes than emissions that are produced on land. The significant contribution of aviation to global warming and the lack of regulation to prevent this serious form of pollution have prompted Oceana and its partners, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity to petition the EPA to stop allowing aircraft to fly and pollute for free.Click the following links for more information on aircraft and climate change or to read the Petition or Oceana's Press Release .

To find out more about what Oceana is doing to fight climate change, click here.

 
What is global warming?   What is global warming doing to the oceans?   Who are the victims of global warming?   What are the solutions to global warming?
 

ONE-THIRD OF REEF-FORMING CORALS AT ESCALATED RISK OF EXTINCTION

A newly released report in Science Magazine (subscription required) details the truly monumental and catastrophic effects of climate change on reef ecosystems. Researchers used IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List Criteria to evaluate the threat of global warming induced extinction for 704 species of reef-forming zooxanthellate coral (coral containing symbiotic algae). Climate change is destroying corals through ocean acidification, bleaching, and the increased spread of disease in warmer waters. Along with climate change threats, local threats from humans are further exacerbating the survival of coral ecosystems through poor coastal management and development, nutrient loading, and over fishing (to name a few). Researchers found that, except for amphibians, the amount of coral species threatened by extinction enormously surpasses that of most land dwelling animals. Of the 704 species assessed, 231 received "threatened" status and 407 were listed as "threatened" and "near threatened" combined. Extinction threats have increased substantially over the past ten years, a fact the scientists were able to calculate using data from previous reports made by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. Coral extinction would result in a massive loss of biodiversity, including the reef fish that dwell among the corals and the predators of these fish. This in turn would have devastating economic effects for communities dependent on these fish for income and food. For now, scientists say that the question of whether or not corals will become extinct this century is unknown and unpredictable. The implementation of effective climate policies that substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and the ability of corals to adapt to new conditions (which seems unlikely at the moment based on the rate at which climate change is occurring) will determine whether reefs survive into the future.


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