Introduction from Jessie Turner and Juliana Corrales, OA Alliance
Ocean acidification is one of climate changes’ “invisible ghosts” haunting our ocean. Caused by humans’ CO2 emissions, it is altering the chemical balance of seawater that marine life depends upon for functioning and survival.
Though ocean acidification is happening beneath the surface, unseen and unheard by humans, it is acutely sensed by marine organisms. From the weakening of shell-building species like corals and oysters to disruptions in chemical communication of fish, ocean acidification impacts the lives and interactions of marine life.
Ocean and climate are intrinsically linked. The ocean drives our climate system, but at the same time is being affected by climate change. The ocean absorbs about 30% of human caused CO2 , leading to changes in its chemical balance and in turn, making it more acidic. In coastal areas, pollution can exacerbate acidification. These changes ripple through marine species, ecosystems and food webs, posing significant risks to the billions of people who rely on the ocean for their livelihoods, food, and culture.
The International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance) unites global leaders and organisations to confront the challenge of ocean acidification, representing nearly 300 million people and more than 366,000 km of coastline around the world. It’s members are dedicated to increasing ambition for climate action and transforming responses to climate-ocean change.
Through the #OAHaiku campaign, part of the UN World Oceans Day 2024, OA Alliance members embraced storytelling and poetry to evoke emotional connections and raise awareness around ocean acidification.
Written by those working within the climate-ocean community, these poems capture the sensory experience of the crisis and the tireless efforts to expand knowledge and find solutions for the impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems, species and communities.
The poems offer a glimpse of the wisdom, expertise, and experiences that have shaped individual contributions to climate-ocean action, bringing to life the sensory experiences of ocean acidification. Through vivid imagery, they awaken new depths of emotion, communication, and connection.
Dissolving oysters. By Juliana Corrales
My protective shell Slowly dissolving away Totally exposed |
Professor Stephen Widdicombe,
Director of Science and Deputy Chief Executive, Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Panda is cuddly But no prochlorococcus And no life for us |
Ambassador Peter Thomson,
United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocea
Silent reefs, soft shells A call for action emerges Ocean the blue thread |
Alfredo Giron,
Head, Ocean Action Agenda, World Economic Forum
My greatest wish is The ocean is known as a Climate solution |
Janis Jones,
CEO, Ocean Conservancy
degrees of separation 1 ocean climate point live coral feasts breathing, 5 plus, plastic fish |
Audrey Brown-Pereira,
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Perhaps just in time The decade of ocean health coral reef heedless |
Martha Kongsgaard,
Chair of the Marine Resources Advisory Board, Washington State
A presumed expanse, an assumed sequestration— exhausted buffers. |
Samantha Jones,
Writer and PhD Candidate, Geography, University of Calgary
Deep reefs out of sight coralporosis crumbling complex structure lost |
Sebastian Hennige,
Senior Lecturer, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh
Our excess carbon - She’d take it all if she could. Wave by endless wave. |
Edith Mari,
UN Decade of Ocean Science Programme Lead & U.S. Policy Consultant, OA Alliance
Waste gases seep deep, Ocean's balance upended. Hope in human hands. |
Dr. Sarah Cooley,
Director of Climate Science, Ocean Conservancy
Silent reefs, soft shells A call for action emerges Ocean the blue thread |
Alfredo Giron,
Head, Ocean Action Agenda, World Economic Forum
Climate-ocean change: Regions, basins, places that Make us who we are. My life has been changed Not just by the ocean, but Her people: you, me. |
Jessie Turner,
Executive Director, OA Alliance
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