Ocean Acidification and Fisheries Collapse

Ocean acidification poses the most immediate threat to global fisheries, with absorbed CO2 driving a 30 percent increase in acidity since pre‑industrial times. This chemical shift directly dissolves the shells of vital organisms like pteropods, which underpin marine food webs, and threatens the collapse of shellfish industries worldwide. The economic stakes are staggering: the 2020 FAO report projects a $10 billion annual loss in fishery revenues by 2050 if acidification continues unchecked. While many climate effects are gradual, ocean acidification is accelerating faster than the average modelled prediction, outpacing even the impacts detailed for #6 Sixth Mass Extinction Acceleration in its direct disruption of human food security. Unlike terrestrial stressors, this effect is irreversible on human timescales, making it a distinct and pressing concern for the one billion people who rely on marine protein.