Ocean acidification is caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere due to fossil fuel combustion and maritime transport. This increased acidity impacts marine ecosystems by making it difficult for organisms with calcium carbonate shells and skeletons to form their structures. This threatens coral reefs and could reduce their resilience. While legal frameworks like the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement mention ocean acidification, UNCLOS provides the best framework for addressing it as a pollution issue requiring global cooperation to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. However, no stringent laws currently exist to fully address the problem.

1. OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN
© Mohit R Pise

2. Videoby: Universityof Plymouth

3. Videoby: Universityof Plymouth

4. Causes of Ocean Acidification
• Absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Fossil fuel combustion.
• Maritime transport.

5. Effects on Marine Ecosystem
• Organisms with calcium-containing shells, may suffer from the rising
acidity of the oceans.
• Some organisms find it more challenging to amass calcium
carbonate to form their hard shells and skeletons when the pH is
lower since this lowers the saturation of calcium carbonate.

6. PC: shutterstock

7. Contd..
• Acidity hinders the formation of reefs, which could reduce coral
resilience and cause erosion.
• The protection that coral reefs provide coastal populations against
storm surges and hurricanes would be lessened if they were to
disappear.
• Acidosis, a build-up of carbonic acid in the bodily fluids of organisms,
is a biological consequence of ocean acidification that can lead to a
variety of additional issues for creatures like fish.

8. Effect on Human Right of Food Security
• The overall health of the ocean, marine life, and the millions of
people who depend on the ocean for food and their livelihoods are
all at risk from ocean acidification.
• The production of shellfish and commercial fisheries may be
impacted by ocean acidification, but it may also jeopardise millions
of the world’s poorest people’s access to protein, food security,
and livelihoods.

9. LEGAL FRAMEWORKS TO MITIGATE
OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
UNFCCC & THE PARIS AGREEMENT
- Ocean Acidification was first mentioned within the auspices of the
UNFCCC.
- However, the different interpretations of Article 2 of the convention are
at the core of differing opinions its applicability to ocean acidification.
- The objectives of the Paris Agreement effectively lay the groundwork for
robust and aggressive global action to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

10. Contd…
 THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON LAW OF THE SEAS
(UNCLOS)
- Art. 1(1)(4). ‘Pollution’: “the introduction by man, directly or
indirectly, of substances or energy into the marine environment,
which results or is likely to result in such deleterious effects as harm to
living resources and marine life, hazards to human health,…”
- The phrase "to ensure" imposes a duty of vigilance upon the states.
- The term "due diligence" refers to the responsibility to enact the
necessary laws and regulations.

11. Contd…
• UNFCCC, or the Paris Agreement do not address ocean acidification.
• UNCLOS appears to offer a solid legal framework for addressing
ocean acidification as a pollution-related result of human activities.
• It the only legal framework that appears to provide the more
suitable framework for the collective action necessary to mitigate
emissions of carbon dioxide causing ocean acidification.

12. Contd…
• There exists no stringent law or policy framework that mitigates
Ocean Acidification.
• The much-anticipated IPCC assessment report on oceans and the
cryosphere promises to include important scientific information that
can provide the scientific foundation for taking future legal and
policy measures to incorporate ocean acidification into the existing
regime.

13. CONCLUSION
• The specific effects of the acidification process are yet unknown,
despite the fact that its nature and rate are well recognised and
predictably fast.
• It is predicted to have potentially disastrous effects on corals,
shelled marine life, such as mollusks and echinoderms, including krill,
a crustacean that serves as the main link in the Antarctic food web
between phytoplankton and higher trophic levels, such as fish. It
may also result in more harmful algal blooms.

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