Marine life is a testament to our planet's remarkable resilience and beauty, with evidence from Britannica and other sources showing that marine life has thrived for an astounding 3.5 billion years, long before the advent of humans. However, a significant problem has started to occur since the late 1980s. Simply put, due to the distribution of carbon dioxide, seawater's pH level has increased, affecting the minerals aquatic creatures use.

Human activities, particularly our excessive carbon emissions, are a significant driver of this increase in pH levels in the ocean. Since the 1700s, one-third of the sea has absorbed the carbon dioxide emissions created by humans, leading to a change in the pH levels in the sea. Carbon dioxide emissions are being produced at a rate that cannot be naturally absorbed back into the earth (i.e., through photosynthesis), posing several issues related to carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon dioxide can affect and further acidify the ocean by having seawater react with carbon dioxide, thus producing carbonic acid. Carbon acid is created due to carbon dioxide dissolving in the water, which then carbonic acid causes the pH levels of the ocean to decrease, meaning that the balance of minerals in the sea has been changed.

The effects of ocean acidification on marine animals lead to various issues. Firstly, scientists have noticed shellfish experience osteoporosis-like* effects, which are thought to be linked to the imbalance of pH levels in the ocean. Due to the rising acidity in the ocean, the amount of carbonate ions in the water has been reduced, which has led to several problems, such as marine life having insufficient nutrients to reproduce healthy offspring without osteoporosis-like effects.

Moreover, Ocean acidification also affects human populations. Studies show that some fisheries were forced to shut down due to its harmful effects. Toxic algae have been found to build up in the bodies of shellfish, which can pose a risk to human health. Symptoms for toxic algae poisoning usually persist within 72 hours, and if humans accidentally consume them, they can experience nausea, diarrhoea, fevers, and headaches with mild irritations and hay fever-like symptoms.

Additionally, the minerals that marine life needs to grow have depleted, and the increasing acidity levels are causing fisheries to close. It's worth noting that the closure of many fisheries resulted in multimillion-dollar losses in the fishing industry, even leading to the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) filing a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies due to the carbon dioxide produced affecting the fishing industry.