Photo credit: scienceprogress.org
In 2009, a law was enacted in order for government agencies in the US to continuously research ocean acidification and try to reduce it.
But the Government Accountability Office is calling those agencies out for not getting the job done.
The federal task force developed under the law is led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA). It has outlined a plan to educate on ocean acidification and determine how the government should respond, but failed to estimate the cash needed to research and monitor the problem.
Photo credit: NOAA
“Until greater clarity is provided on the entity responsible for coordinating the next steps in the federal response to ocean acidification, completing important actions, such as implementing the research and monitoring plan, will be difficult,” the report concluded.
Ocean acidification is caused by carbon dioxide and is worsening as the ocean absorbs 30 percent of emissions. It hurts commercial fishing, tourism, but most importantly, harms marine life.
“While it’s vital that we study ocean acidification, what the GAO report points out is that it isn’t enough,” Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director for the group, said in a statement.
Read more from The Hill.