Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Earth's Acid Test: As the oceans rapidly grow more acidic, scientists are scrambling to discover how marine life is likely to react.

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Earth's Acid Test: As the oceans rapidly grow more acidic, scientists are scrambling to discover how marine life is likely to react.

by Quirin Schiermeier from Nature News.

A sense of urgency is propelling these studies. Governments have shown no signs of stemming CO2 emissions any time soon, and there is talk of tackling the problem of methane and other greenhouse gases first, leaving the tougher issue of CO2 for a later generation. That might slow the global temperature rise, but it won't keep the seas from growing ever more corrosive.