The impacts of “Ocean Acidification” (OA) are probably just as dramatic as those of “Global Warming” and the combination of the two even more so. Despite this threat, has “Ocean Acidification” only recently been put on the research agendas. Contrary to “Global (regional) Warming”, can the change in ocean carbonate chemistry, due to CO2 emissions, be predicted with very high confidence. However, the impact of OA on biota and ecosystems is largely unknown. Therefore, there is a broad scientific consensus that the topic of Ocean Acidification needs serious and immediate attention, and should be addressed at the European level and beyond.
One important lesson learned from decades of “Climate Change” or “Global Warming” research is that the political response largely depends on our ability to estimate possible socio-economic costs (the “Stern report”). It is therefore of high priority to stimulate a discussion at the interface between biological research, economy, social sciences and politics as soon as possible.
The Peace Nobel prize, recently awarded to the IPCC and Al Gore signals that the timing is right and provides momentum to address these interdisciplinary issues. This session will consist of invited speakers addressing the impact of Ocean Acidification from the different angles mentioned above trying to bridge the gap between disciplines.
Schedule: Tuesday 15 April 2008
15:30 – 16:00 Gattuso, J.-P. Ocean acidification and its impact on organisms and ecosystems (solicited)
16:00 – 16:30 Tol, R. Socio-economic impacts of global change; a first assessment of the impact of ocean acidification (solicited)
16:30 – 17:00 Turley, C. Ocean acidification: Are we getting the message across to policy makers? (solicited)
