Ocean Acidification Kills Oysters

I wrote previously that ocean acidification is one of the climate change risks that scares me most. Recently, I came across this article that describes how carbon dioxide concentrations in the ocean are causing oyster hatcheries to collapse.  Higher CO2 levels in water prevent oyster larvae from effectively forming shells, killing them within days.


This issue hits home for me, as I am a big fan of oysters.  They are a good source of zinc, iron, calcium, and protein.  Also, they don't have a central nervous system, and feed on plankton low in the food chain.  Moreover, they taste great.  One of my favorite things about living in Boston for the past year has been enjoying 50 cent oyster happy hours at The Red House in Cambridge.


While oyster farms may survive by adding chemicals to their water, oysters in the wild are at risk of massive population loss.  I don't like the thought of losing oysters and possibly other shellfish due to higher concentrations of CO2 in ocean water.  All the more reason to support climate change mitigation policies, such as clean energy investment, today.

Introduction

Green Jouleus is a blog about businesses in the energy and environment sector.  My interest in the energy field stems primarily from concerns of climate change.  Throughout the blog, I will assume that greenhouse gas emissions by people are causing climate change, as determined by the IPCC.

All climate modeling projections involve uncertainty, and I think of investment in climate change mitigation as insurance against uncertain outcomes.  Coral reef bleaching and ocean acidification are catastrophic risks that could disrupt ocean ecosystems and the human food chain.  These risks merit insurance investments on the part of people and governments worldwide.  The threat of climate change will therefore induce long-term business investment in the energy and environment sector.

Any business that works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is fair game for discussion here, although Green Jouleus will focus on low carbon electricity generation, as my experience is in the North American electricity sector.