Washington Democrat Congressman Brian Baird applauds Congress for approving the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2007 (FOARAM, H.R. 4174). Championed by Baird, when signed into law it will charge the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology with overseeing the planning, establishment, and coordination of a plan to improve the understanding of ocean acidification and its impact on marine ecosystems
“From the people who work in the seafood and shellfish industry, to those who enjoy our maritime resources, the consequences of an increasingly acidic ocean to the people of Washington could be nothing short of catastrophic,” said Congressman Baird. “I refuse to pass this problem off to future generations; we must work to solve it today.”
The world’s oceans help mitigate the effects of global warming by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide; however, as CO2 levels increase the oceans are becoming overwhelmed and more acidic. With more than two thirds of the Earth’s surface covered by water the effects of these changes can be catastrophic.
