Scientists predict that the oceans can still be saved by 2050

Charlotte Eykerman and Nanor Pontigian Opinion Editor and Science & Tech Editor, The Pawprint

A new scientific research has found that despite the terrible treatment towards oceans throughout the years, there is a chance if we act carefully our oceans can be restored by 2050.

The biggest issue preventing this seems to be Climate Change. Last year, the intergovernmental Panel on climate change (IPPC) documented that over the past years, climate change has increased the acidity of the ocean which will have a major impact on sea life and human life.

This shows the resilience of the oceans, considering not the possible recovery but also how the amount of marine species threatened to go extinct has decreased from 18% in 2000 to 11.4% in 2019.

Professor of marine sciences, at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, Carlos Duarte said, “Our study documents the recovery of marine populations, habitats and ecosystems following past conservation interventions. It provides specific, evidence-based recommendations to scale proven solutions globally”

Researchers found nine key components that are essential to rebuilding the oceans, salt marshes, mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs, kelp, oyster reefs, fisheries, megafauna and the deep ocean.

One concern is the amount of money that is needed to rebuild this marine life. They estimated that they would need around 10 to 20 billion US dollars a year to rebuild the ocean by 2050.