Act now to stop ocean
acidification, sometimes called global warming's evil twin. The Environmental Protection Agency is
seeking public input on how to address ocean acidification under the
Clean Water Act -- a process that opens the door to greater
opportunities to regulate the emissions that are causing ocean
acidification. It is extremely important that the EPA hears from you in
support of these efforts.
Our thirst for fossil fuels is turning our world's oceans more acidic --
with potentially devastating impacts on marine ecosystems. The oceans
absorb about 22 million tons of CO2 daily, causing seawater
to become more acidic. Ocean acidification prevents crucial marine life
such as plankton, shellfish, and corals from building the protective
shells they need to survive.
Leading scientific experts warn that if we do not rapidly reduce
atmospheric CO2, our oceans will dramatically change and
entire ocean ecosystems could unravel from the bottom up due to
acidification. It’s not too late to act, but time is short.
The Clean Water Act
-- our nation's
strongest law protecting water quality -- provides tools that can be used to rein in CO2
pollution. The law
has a history of successfully reducing water pollution, including other
atmospheric pollutants such as mercury and acid rain. The EPA has the
ability to invoke this powerful law to curb CO2 emissions
that are causing our oceans to acidify.
Send a letter urging the EPA to act quickly to address ocean acidification.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Clean Water Act Section 303(d)
Call for Public Comment on 303(d) Program & Ocean
Acidification
1200 Constitution Ave., NW.
Washington, DC 20460
Or click here to e-mail the EPA
Please submit
comments by May 21, 2010.
Photo: starfish (c) Pete Townend, courtesy Center for Biological Diversity