The tribunal, sometimes called the Oceans Court, was responding to a request from a consortium of small island nations disappearing under rising seas. Which is why the tribunal’s ruling may not be enough to halt or even slow the ocean’s approach to a literal boiling point. AdvertisementScientific reviews have found that the duration of marine heat waves has increased more than 50% since 1925. The carbon dioxide, buffered into carbonic acid, increases acidity in ocean water, which is bad news for corals, clams and other shell-forming creatures. The tribunal’s ruling could cool the oceans, if only there were a way or the will to enforce it.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 11, 2024 14:01 UTC