Scientists find coastal seas acidifying shockingly fast

[Perpetual Student]

Scientists find coastal seas acidifying shockingly fast

New findings show that some coastal regions will become far more acidic than scientists once thought, with upwelling systems pulling deep, CO2-rich waters to the surface and greatly intensifying acidification. Historic coral chemistry and advanced modeling reveal that these regions are...

www.sciencedaily.com

"New findings show that some coastal regions will become far more acidic than scientists once thought, with upwelling systems pulling deep, CO2-rich waters to the surface and greatly intensifying acidification. Historic coral chemistry and advanced modeling reveal that these regions are acidifying much faster than expected from atmospheric CO2 alone, raising serious concerns for fisheries, marine ecosystems, and coastal economies."

The emissions of CO2 into our atmosphere is not only about rising sea levels and hungry polar bears. It threatens also directly the food production and income of millions of people living near and from the sea.
The acidification of the oceans by the CO2 is a different consequence of the release of this gas, aside from global warming.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

So who is going to be the one to tell China and India to stop polluting the Earth?

 

[Perpetual Student]

So who is going to be the one to tell China and India to stop polluting the Earth?

The finger pointing at others, so that the own responsibility can be avoided.

Let me show a few graphs. Because I love fact based discussions.

China as a country is indeed the biggest emitter of CO2 currently. India, which you single out too, emits currently 2.6 billion ton of CO2, while the USA is emitting 5.67 billion ton. Annually. So the USA emits double the amount of CO2 and this even despite the fact that there are more Indians than Americans.

If we look at the emissions per capita, then the graph becomes even more staggering.

An American citizen emits 14 ton CO2 per year, a Chinese 8 ton, an Indian 2.2 ton per year. Every American pollutes as much as 7 Indians.

source: CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

China invests in renewables, massively. According to the IAE:

According to the IEA:

“Chinese investments in energy remained extremely strong, accounting for one-third of clean energy investments worldwide and an important share of China’s overall GDP growth. China has announced dual carbon goals – to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 – and has shown remarkable progress in adding renewable capacity. In 2023, China commissioned as much solar PV as the entire world did in 2022 while its wind additions also grew by 66% year-on-year. Over the past five years, China also added 11 GW of nuclear power, by far the largest of any country in the world.”

https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-investment-2024/china

 

[Oompa Loompa]

The finger pointing at others, so that the own responsibility can be avoided.

Let me show a few graphs. Because I love fact based discussions.

View attachment 373843

China as a country is indeed the biggest emitter of CO2 currently. India, which you single out too, emits currently 2.6 billion ton of CO2, while the USA is emitting 5.67 billion ton. Annually. So the USA emits double the amount of CO2 and this even despite the fact that there are more Indians than Americans.

If we look at the emissions per capita, then the graph becomes even more staggering.

An American citizen emits 14 ton CO2 per year, a Chinese 8 ton, an Indian 2.2 ton per year. Every American pollutes as much as 7 Indians.

View attachment 373844
source: CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

China invests in renewables, massively. According to the IAE:

According to the IEA:

“Chinese investments in energy remained extremely strong, accounting for one-third of clean energy investments worldwide and an important share of China’s overall GDP growth. China has announced dual carbon goals – to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 – and has shown remarkable progress in adding renewable capacity. In 2023, China commissioned as much solar PV as the entire world did in 2022 while its wind additions also grew by 66% year-on-year. Over the past five years, China also added 11 GW of nuclear power, by far the largest of any country in the world.”

https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-investment-2024/china

So who is going to tell Asia (excl China), China, and India to stop polluting? Because even if the US carbon emissions drop to 0%, the world is going to end. I a nuclear war worth saving the planet?

 

[Paulos23]

So who is going to tell Asia (excl China), China, and India to stop polluting? Because even if the US carbon emissions drop to 0%, the world is going to end. I a nuclear war worth saving the planet?

Maybe we should lead by example for a start?

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Maybe we should lead by example for a start?

Or we can blow China back into the stone age. That will help save the world. Or we can do something about the all that nasty water vapor that is warming up the planet.

 

[durangodawood]

....Because even if the US carbon emissions drop to 0%, the world is going to end.....

Is that so? End how?

 

[Perpetual Student]

So who is going to tell Asia (excl China), China, and India to stop polluting? Because even if the US carbon emissions drop to 0%, the world is going to end. I a nuclear war worth saving the planet?

1) Telling Asia (and the rest of the world for that matter) already happens in different international conferences. (The different COPs around climate, plastic pollution conferences (https://www.eria.org/events/asean-c...ing-forces-for-a-sustainable-plastics-future-) ) and so on.
2) Show me any scientific paper - not some hysterical activist, but a scientific paper - that states that the world will end. Until then you are just building a straw man.
3) If the world excl Asia would stop polluting, it would already be a tremendous step forward. Things are not all or nothing. The consequences are on a gliding scale from bad over very bad to catastrophic. Going from catastrophic to very bad would mean progress.

 

[Perpetual Student]

Or we can blow China back into the stone age. That will help save the world.

"The World" doesn't need to be saved. We need to be saved. Our way of life needs to be saved.

Or we can do something about the all that nasty water vapor that is warming up the planet.

*sigh*
Thanks to a natural Greenhouse effect the Earth is warmer than we would expect based on our distance from the Sun. If I remember well (but can't directly find a source) we are 15 °C above what to expect thanks to the water vapour and the 300 ppm CO2 that are naturally in the atmosphere. It is the excess of CO2 and the excess of heat trapping that this causes that are problematic.
But that is not the theme of this thread. The excess of CO2 in the atmosphere causes an acidifcation of the oceans via CO2 + H2O -> H2CO3 which splits in HCO3- and H+.
The acidification of the oceans by the CO2 is a different consequence of the release of this gas, aside from global warming.

Ocean acidification - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Oompa Loompa]

1) Telling Asia (and the rest of the world for that matter) already happens in different international conferences. (The different COPs around climate, plastic pollution conferences (https://www.eria.org/events/asean-c...ing-forces-for-a-sustainable-plastics-future-) ) and so on.

Now look at the graph you provided and tell me if the talks are working. So what is plan B? After all, the fate of humanity is at stake.

 

[Paulos23]

Or we can blow China back into the stone age. That will help save the world. Or we can do something about the all that nasty water vapor that is warming up the planet.

Don't be so dramatic. We can afford to take some responsibility on this and lead by example.

 

[essentialsaltes]

So who is going to tell Asia (excl China), China, and India to stop polluting?

Certainly not the United States, because Trump pulled us out of the Paris Climate Agreement (again).

 

[Perpetual Student]

Now look at the graph you provided and tell me if the talks are working. So what is plan B? After all, the fate of humanity is at stake.

The hysterical activist in me wants to scream "NO!"

A more rational answer is "yes, but..."

The Paris Agreement (PA) was a first step. 194 countries declared that Global Warming was a threat and needed to be addressed.
Since then a lot has happened.
We start to see a plateau in the carbon emissions.

China, the UK and the EU have started to decline their carbon emissions while increasing their GDP.
The energy production from renewables is really gaining traction.
Before the PA it was estimated that we would have a warming of 4°C by the year 2100. Now it has been estimated to be 2.6 to 2.7°C. You could compare it with lowering a BMI from 39 to 36. It will still cause many issues, but less and less severe.

It's too little, but it is progress.