World fish stocks could be threatened by climate change: UN
A latest UN study claims that an ocean circulation system that allows fish stocks to replenish is under threat due to the rising temperature of water.
By PTI |
NEW YORK: The supply of fish stocks will plummet as the world heats up, impacting millions of people in developing nations who depend on fishing for their livelihoods, according to a new UN study.
The study released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that an ocean circulation system that allows fish stocks to replenish is under threat due to the rising temperature of water.
These natural pumps, dotted across the world including the Arctic and the Mediterranean, bring nutrients to fisheries and keep them healthy by flushing out wastes and pollution.
Rising greenhouse gas emissions threaten at least three quarters of key fishing grounds, and this could affect the 2.6 billion people who derive their protein from seafood worldwide, says the report.
Additionally, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will raise the acidity levels in seas and oceans, which will hurt corals as well as planktonic organisms at the base of the food chain.
"Climate change threatens coastal infrastructure, food and water supplies and the health of people across the world," says UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. "This is as much a development and economic issue as it is an environmental one."
The new report was compiled from the agency's various research hubs, including the GRID Arendal Centre, World Conservation Monitoring Centre and Division of Early Warning and Assessment.
It notes that the worst effects of a combination of climate change, over-harvesting, bottom trawling, invasive species infestations, coastal development and pollution are concentrated in 10 to 15 per cent of oceans, far higher than previously thought.
The study released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that an ocean circulation system that allows fish stocks to replenish is under threat due to the rising temperature of water.
These natural pumps, dotted across the world including the Arctic and the Mediterranean, bring nutrients to fisheries and keep them healthy by flushing out wastes and pollution.
Rising greenhouse gas emissions threaten at least three quarters of key fishing grounds, and this could affect the 2.6 billion people who derive their protein from seafood worldwide, says the report.
Additionally, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will raise the acidity levels in seas and oceans, which will hurt corals as well as planktonic organisms at the base of the food chain.
"Climate change threatens coastal infrastructure, food and water supplies and the health of people across the world," says UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. "This is as much a development and economic issue as it is an environmental one."
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The new report was compiled from the agency's various research hubs, including the GRID Arendal Centre, World Conservation Monitoring Centre and Division of Early Warning and Assessment.
It notes that the worst effects of a combination of climate change, over-harvesting, bottom trawling, invasive species infestations, coastal development and pollution are concentrated in 10 to 15 per cent of oceans, far higher than previously thought.
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