Kenchington, Richard; Warner, Robin --- "Uncertain seas ahead: legal and policy approaches to conserving marine biodiversity in the face of changing climate" [2012] ELECD 1091; in Warner, Robin; Schofield, Clive (eds), "Climate Change and the Oceans" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012) 51

Book Title: Climate Change and the Oceans

Editor(s): Warner, Robin; Schofield, Clive

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848448186

Section: Chapter 3

Section Title: Uncertain seas ahead: legal and policy approaches to conserving marine biodiversity in the face of changing climate

Author(s): Kenchington, Richard; Warner, Robin

Number of pages: 23

Abstract/Description:

Climate is a major factor in the habitat, food chains, competition, success and survival of species. Contemporary distributions and abundance of marine species and communities reflect adaptation to geologically recent climatic conditions and the impacts of human activities. Warming of the atmosphere and seawater has occurred in association with increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide since the start of the twentieth century. Despite continuing scientific research and wider discussion of the relative roles of anthropogenic greenhouse gas increases and other influences on climate, climate change is occurring. The policy and legal issues have two core components: response to the effects of climate change, and addressing the human activities for which there is reasonable evidence of causation or exacerbation of climate change. For the purpose of this chapter, the focus will be on the response to the effects of climate change, rather than on the issue of anthropogenic causation and exacerbation. The effects of climate change on marine biodiversity flow from increasing water temperature and absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with consequential changes in the chemistry of seawater; the strength and direction of ocean currents; and the intensity, frequency and geographic range of extreme weather events. The expected consequences of recent and projected anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gases on climate change are now considered inevitable, with temperatures set to continue to increase. This is because the period over which any stabilization or return to historic levels would occur is expected to be long.