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Marine life under threat

as oceans losing oxygen

oxygen — in the global ocean has quad- we, as a planet, must react. Ocean oxygen
tehelka bureau rupled, according to the report. loss, driven by climate change and nu-
The IUCN is a membership Union trient pollution, is a growing menace to
composed of both government and civil fisheries and species such as tuna, mar-
arine life, the fish species society organizations. It has more than lin and sharks, according to the report.
the world over are under 1300 member organisations and more With this report, the scale of damage cli-
a serious threat due to than 15,000 experts. The diversity and mate change is wreaking upon the ocean
loss of oxygen from the vast expertise makes IUCN the global au- comes into stark focus. As the warming
M world’s oceans. A new re- thority on the status of the natural world ocean loses oxygen, the delicate balance
port released by the International Union and the measures needed to safeguard it. of marine life is thrown into disarray.
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) ob- The report points out that at a global- Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Acting Di-
serves that entire ecosystem is being dis- scale, warming-induced oxygen loss is rector General said, “The potentially
rupted because of diminishing oxygen. driving progressive persistent changes dire effects on fisheries and vulnerable
The review report, “Ocean deoxygen- in nutrient cycling and recycling, species coastal communities mean that the de-
ating: Everyone’s problem”, is the larg- distributions, marine ecosystem services cisions made at the ongoing UN Climate
est peer-reviewed study so far into the and habitat availability. Whereas at a re- Change Conference are even more cru-
causes, impacts and possible solutions gional scale, the formation of low oxygen cial. To curb ocean oxygen loss alongside
to ocean deoxygenating. Ocean regions zones and harmful algal blooms become the other disastrous impacts of climate
with low oxygen concentrations are ex- more frequent. change, world leaders must commit to
panding, with around 700 sites world- In a ground-breaking new report, immediate and substantial emission
wide now affected by low oxygen condi- IUCN, in partnership with leading scien- cuts.”
tions — up from only 45 in the 1960s. In tists, explore the causes, consequences Dan Laffoley, Senior Advisor Marine
the same period, the volume of anoxic and socio-economic implications of Science and Conservation in IUCN’s
waters — areas completely depleted of ocean deoxygenating, and discusses how Global Marine and Polar Programme,

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