The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has revealed in a recent study, done in collaboration with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), that oceans are becoming more acidic at a rate 100 times faster than any previous changes in acidity seen over the last 20 million years. This rapid change is not allowing enough time for biological systems to adapt evolutionarily. The study, released at the Bella Convention Centre in Copenhagen, where climate talks are taking place, states that oceans are absorbing about a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere from human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. The oceans have been absorbing increasing amounts of carbon dioxide at a faster rate as more emissions are produced. If the oceans were not absorbing this carbon dioxide, atmospheric CO2 levels would be much higher and the impacts of global climate change would be more severe. The absorption of atmospheric CO2 has caused the oceans to become more acidic, with predictions suggesting a 150 percent increase in ocean acidity by 2050. Ocean acidification is a permanent problem that can only be prevented by urgent reductions in global CO2 emissions. Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the convention, emphasizes the importance of integrating this issue into the global climate change debate in Copenhagen. A study by CBD highlights the severe ecological consequences of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity, based on analysis of over 300 scientific literatures. The study reveals that as ocean acidification increases, a significant portion of cold water corals, which serve as important habitats for commercial fish species, will be at risk of exposure to corrosive waters by the year 2100.