Ocean Acidification and Human Health
1
Simon F.S. Li Marine Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
2
SKLEC-NIVA Centre for Marine and Coastal Research, State Key Laboratory for Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China
3
Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Thormølensgate 53D, N-5007 Bergen, Norway
4
Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, The Environment Institute, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
5
European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School c/o Knowledge Spa RCHT, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3HD, UK
6
Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China
7
Prostate Cancer Institute, Galway Clinic, Doughiska, H91HHT0 Galway, Ireland
8
Department for Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Kristineberg 566, 45178 Fiskebäckskil, Sweden
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(12), 4563; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124563
Received: 31 May 2020 / Revised: 19 June 2020 / Accepted: 20 June 2020 / Published: 24 June 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oceans and Human Health: The Importance of Marine Ecosystems on Human Health and Wellbeing)
The ocean provides resources key to human health and well-being, including food, oxygen, livelihoods, blue spaces, and medicines. The global threat to these resources posed by accelerating ocean acidification is becoming increasingly evident as the world’s oceans absorb carbon dioxide emissions. While ocean acidification was initially perceived as a threat only to the marine realm, here we argue that it is also an emerging human health issue. Specifically, we explore how ocean acidification affects the quantity and quality of resources key to human health and well-being in the context of: (1) malnutrition and poisoning, (2) respiratory issues, (3) mental health impacts, and (4) development of medical resources. We explore mitigation and adaptation management strategies that can be implemented to strengthen the capacity of acidifying oceans to continue providing human health benefits. Importantly, we emphasize that the cost of such actions will be dependent upon the socioeconomic context; specifically, costs will likely be greater for socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, exacerbating the current inequitable distribution of environmental and human health challenges. Given the scale of ocean acidification impacts on human health and well-being, recognizing and researching these complexities may allow the adaptation of management such that not only are the harms to human health reduced but the benefits enhanced.
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Keywords:
ocean acidification; global climate change; human health; seafood; malnutrition; air quality; respiratory health; biodiversity loss
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Falkenberg, L.J.; Bellerby, R.G.J.; Connell, S.D.; Fleming, L.E.; Maycock, B.; Russell, B.D.; Sullivan, F.J.; Dupont, S. Ocean Acidification and Human Health. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4563. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124563
AMA Style
Falkenberg LJ, Bellerby RGJ, Connell SD, Fleming LE, Maycock B, Russell BD, Sullivan FJ, Dupont S. Ocean Acidification and Human Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(12):4563. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124563
Chicago/Turabian StyleFalkenberg, Laura J.; Bellerby, Richard G.J.; Connell, Sean D.; Fleming, Lora E.; Maycock, Bruce; Russell, Bayden D.; Sullivan, Francis J.; Dupont, Sam. 2020. "Ocean Acidification and Human Health" Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17, no. 12: 4563. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124563
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