The State of Our Oceans and the Impact of Climate Change

Chapter 1 is focused on oceans and the coastal communities that depend on them. 40 percent of the United States is living in coastal shoreline counties. These communities depend on ocean-related industries like fisheries, tourism, and shipping. Businesses and jobs directly dependent on oceans and Great Lakes resources contribute $352 billion to our GDP. They employ over 3 million Americans. But even if you live far from the coast, the health of oceans should matter to you. It affects the air we breathe, it affects the food we eat, and the livability of our climate. The purpose of chapter 2 is to explore the impacts of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions on our oceans and coasts. This chapter discusses warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and sea level rise with special attention to findings in recently published significant climate reports and the impacts of climate change to a coastal industry.