Action Week on Ocean Acidification, 3–9 May 2021

Call by environmental NGOs to highlight the threat of ocean acidification during the first week of May 2021 with educational and public activities.

Ocean Acidification (OA) caused by carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels puts our seas at danger. Corals, cod, salmon, shrimps and shellfish are among the organisms at peril, together with whole ecosystems. The threats to nature are also a great concern for humans, and affect everyone who benefits from nature and the sea – for work, for leisure, and for inspiration.

The NGOs working in the BALSAM project strongly encourage other NGOs and all those concerned about our seas to take action to highlight OA – a phenomenon that is still not well known to everyone. Although the Covid pandemic still affects our lives, we hope to establish creative contacts with fishermen, schools, artists, museums, journalists and the like, to raise awareness of OA – during the Action Week and otherwise.

The BALSAM project is funded by the Swedish Institute for work that is carried out in certain countries in the Baltic Sea and Black Sea regions. The NGO-partners are AirClim (Sweden), Ecoaction (Ukraine), Ecocentrum (Russia), and Polish Ecological Club Pomeranian branch. Novia University of Applied Sciences from Finland participates as scientific partner. Scientists outside the BALSAM-partnership have contributed to the working group, and it has been joined also by NGOs from other regions utilising additional funding sources.

The working group sincerely hopes that the OA Action Week will attract attention in seas around the world, and intends for the work continue with annual events.