A report highlighting just how far climate change has already impacted the United Kingdom''s marine environment, and what might happen in the future, was published yesterday (www.mccip.org.uk/arc).
Rapidly following-on from the publication of the Stern Report, which documented the economic case for tackling climate change, the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) has produced a new ‘Annual Report Card' (ARC) focussing on the marine environment.
The report card strongly suggests that marine climate change will have important consequences for all elements of our marine environment, with significant impacts on the biological diversity, cleanliness and safety, and commercial productivity of our seas.
Speaking on behalf of the Government and Devolved Administrations, Climate Change Minister, Ian Pearson, said:
“Climate change is the biggest environmental issue the world faces, on land and at sea. Our seas play a vital role in shaping and regulating our climate and have a tremendous bearing on our future wellbeing.
"Rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification and melting polar ice are not just predictions, they are happening now.
"This Report Card contains some disturbing facts, showing that climate change is already having a noticeable impact on marine species from plankton to seabirds.
"There is a lot we still do not understand about the impact climate change will have on our oceans, but the Report Card gives us at a glance the latest scientific knowledge which will improve our understanding and our capacity to act."
The Annual Report Card concludes that:
* We are observing large changes in our marine environment that are driven in part by climate change. These changes are altering the amount, variety and distributions of marine species at all levels of the marine ecosystem, from plankton through to fish and top predators such as seabirds.
* In particular, increasing sea surface temperature is having a major impact on marine ecosystems, with an apparent northwards shift of some 1000km of warm-water plankton (with a similar retreat of cold-water species) and an increased abundance of warm water species of fish being observed in our seas.
* Interactions between different parts of the marine ecosystem are complicated and exactly how the whole system ties together and responds to change is as yet not well understood.
The partnership which produced this report includes a wide range of stakeholders, including academics, government, and non-government organisations.
