This may help with climate change, but at the cost of rapidly acidifying ocean waters. If our greenhouse gas emission levels stay constant, the pH of the ocean could drop to a value of 7.7 or 7.8- a seemingly small but also extremely significant difference from its current pH of 8.1, which is already causing problems.
This is the first time we have seen this happen since millions of years ago. Scientists say, however, that when this did last occur, it led to widespread death of ocean organism life. It occurred because of CO2 levels in the atmosphere doubling, due to volcanic eruptions and methane releases. This was considered to be the largest mass extinction ever. Over ninety percent of sea life died in this event. If nothing is done to change our CO2 emissions, something similar may happen in the future.
Even on a small-scale level, pH changes everything. For just one small organism, a lower water acidity can affect their entire lifespan. Much more energy needs to be devoted to maintaining an internal balance when the pH around a creature doesn’t match the one it needs to be in. If more energy is being expended converting pH to keep up homeostasis, less energy can go to major things such as development, growth, and reproduction, all of which are essential to keep a balance within the food