What are Some Solutions to Ocean Acidification?

Solutions to Ocean Acidification:

Electricity Generation:

            Electricity production needs to be severely altered if any kind of dent is to be made in the anthropogenic carbon footprint. The United States (as well as all other superpowers) need to move away from the consumption of coal and other fossil fuels and towards green energy solutions. Currently, wind, water, and solar power are used throughout the U.S. However, these energy sources are too inefficient and expensive to be practical for use on a large scale. There is no way that we could fuel our nation using the current wind, water, and solar power technologies. That is why much more research and development must be dedicated to these fields. The government needs to encourage or force industries to move towards these energy sources, through stricter regulation and/or tax incentives. If solar power is made more efficient and less expensive, more residential communities will be more willing to adopt solar power as their primary source of electricity. Increased tax breaks will add to the list of reasons to switch over as well. If residential communities use more solar power, it will allow the energy produced by burning coal to be dedicated to industry, and will reduce the amount of fossil fuels that need to be consumed. Nuclear technology must be studied as well in order to make it more environmentally friendly and practical for large-scale use. Although it has negative effects on the environment in some ways, it does help to serve as a practical primary source of low emission energy, making it a definite logical solution to at least part of the problem that is ocean acidification.

            The other major step that needs to be taken in order to reduce electric carbon emissions is making the public aware. Ocean acidification is an extremely important issue that often goes unnoticed in the shadow of climate change, an issue that people have very strong feelings about. The public needs to be made aware that ocean acidification is definitely a real issue that is occurring every day, and that they need to do their part to combat it. Energy saving tactics such as unplugging batteries (laptops, cell phones, etc.), turning off lights when they are not being used, and trying to use electricity only when necessary must be put into practice. People will respond more positively to ocean acidification than climate change because there is no large opposing community denying that it is anthropogenic. The scientific community is aware and worried, and the public will follow suit once this issue is made more public. Saving energy means saving money, which is just another incentive to using less electricity, and using less electricity is absolutely necessary in order to save our oceans.

Industry:

            Carbon emissions from industry are the second largest source of greenhouse gases in the U.S.  Carbon emissions from the industrial sector have not increased since 1990, but manufacturing output has also not increased within this time.  The following industries account for the majority of energy use in the nation; petroleum refining, chemical production, mineral production, paper production, primary metal production, and food processing. Therefore, solutions need to be developed now to account for future production increases in manufacturing.  Loans and tax credits should be made available to established industrial companies to create environmentally friendly production processes.  Improved environmental regulation of the private sector would ensure that industrial carbon emissions decrease.  Funding for these types of government intervention can be funded by new taxes on “dirty” energy industries. 

Transportation:

Carbon emissions released from the transportation of people and goods can be substantially reduced through technological innovation and government support.  Traffic congestion is a major issue that needs to be addressed in order to release transportation-related carbon emissions. The efficiency of vehicles is drastically reduced during peak travel hours, when traffic can slow to a crawl. This issue can be addressed by improving the present highway infrastructure in the nation.  An additional way to reduce congestion is to reduce the amount of drivers on the road.  This can be accomplished by adding incentives for companies that allow their employees to telecommute by changing the tax code.  Making public transportation more affordable would also help this cause.  All of the above mentioned solutions would reduce the frequency and duration of time that Americans spend creating carbon emissions through the use of personal vehicles.  However, the fuel efficiency of vehicles needs to continue to improve.  Fuel taxes would help fund infrastructure improvement projects and discourage fuel consumption.  Higher fuel prices would encourage consumers to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles and spur technological innovation that would lead to increased efficiency and alternate energy vehicle development.