Sea life in Mass Extinction Threshold

Life at sea in the biggest mass extinction risk will be in jutaaan years due to threats posed humans. These threats include overfishing, climate change, and waste flowing into the sea.

According to research conducted by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (ipso), we start running out of time to overcome the danger of destruction of life such as corals or the spread of "dead zones" or areas of low oxygen.

"In one generation, we now face the loss of some species and even entire marine ecosystems such as coral reefs," said research conducted by 27 experts who will present their research results at the United Nations.

In its report, the researchers said, unless action is taken now, the consequences of human activities at high risk of causing a variety of combinations of the effects of climate change, overexploitation and pollution. "Loss of habitat is the agenda of mass destruction are imminent in the sea," the report said.

Quoted from the Daily News, June 24, 2011, the report said the scientists noted, in the last 600 million years there were five mass extinction events on Earth. The latter occurs is when the asteroid hit the planet in 65 million years ago and led to extinction of the dinosaurs.

Earlier, about 250 million years ago, an asteroid is also estimated to have hit and caused the biggest mass extinction that ever occurred on Earth.

"The finding that the destruction of marine life would be very surprising," said Alex Rogers, Scientific Director, ipso who wrote the conclusion. "Fish is the main source of protein for one-fifth of the world population and the marine recycle oxygen and help to absorb carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas generated by human beings," he said. (eh)
• VIVAnews

Posted in: Sharing