ACTION NEEDED: Youths have the power to reduce amounts of carbon dioxide in the air
CLIMATE change has a harmful impact on aquatic ecosystems and bio-resources.
Monash University Victoria Australia’s School of Biological Sciences Professor Dr John Beardall said with 70 per cent of the planet covered by the sea, the effects of rising temperature include elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), ocean acidification and UVB on algal physiological performance.
“When carbon and oxygen bond together, they form CO2, which is a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. Whenever we burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas — whether it’s to drive our cars, use electricity, or make products, we are producing carbon dioxide.
“The atmosphere isn’t the only part of the Earth that has carbon. The oceans store large amounts of carbon, and so do plants, soil, and deposits of coal, oil, and natural gas deep underground. Carbon naturally moves from one part of the Earth to another through the carbon cycle. But right now, people are adding carbon to the atmosphere (in the form of CO2) faster than natural processes can remove it. That’s why the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing, which is causing global climate change,” he said to a packed auditorium in Cyberjaya comprising secondary school students from around the Klang Valley and surrounding areas.
When CO2 dissolves in oceans, Beardall said it forms carbonic acid which makes the ocean pH level drop, thus becoming more acidic.
“The elevated temperature affects algal growth and physical and chemical processes of water bodies. Marine algae are hugely important of reasons — most importantly, they form the basis of all aquatic food chains. Increased temperature lead to coral bleaching and death of organisms.”
What the planet will experience is more extreme events with climate change, he said.
Dr Joe S.Y. Lee, professor at the Australian Rivers Institute and School of Environment in Griffith University Queensland Australia, meanwhile said tropical marine habitats are globally under threat due to unchecked progress and coastal erosion as well as climate change.
He said dense fringing mangrove forests can dampen water flow and protect coastal communities. “Corals gain thermal refuge from co-occuring mangroves from their shades: tropical biota (the animal and plant life of a particular region) may interact to modulate climate change impacts. The biota can be resilient towards changes, especially when assisted by sound management policies and practices,” said Lee.
He remarked that Malaysia has one of the best mangrove environments in the world.
“Climate change has taken its toll. What you do about the mangrove matters a lot. To conserve it, we must apply the right science and have the patience to wait for the environment to react and respond. Let’s do something while we can,” he said.
Beardall agreed: “There is enough talk and we now need to take action (about climate change). People at your age can change the world. You’ve got to learn to live in a sustainable way,” he said to the youngsters present.
Beardall and Lee were presenters at the Science Talk on Climate Change for students which was organised by the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. The two professors also gave presentations at an Australia-Malaysia research seminar series on the same topic at the Institute of Graduate Studies, University of Malaya.