According to a recent study released by the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in collaboration with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) at the Bella Convention Centre in Copenhagen, oceans are becoming more acidic at a rate 100 times faster than any change in acidity seen in the past 20 million years. This rapid change leaves little time for biological systems to adapt evolutionarily. The study highlights that seas and oceans currently absorb around a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere from human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Without this absorption, 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. This acidification is irreversible on timescales of thousands of years, and urgent reductions in global CO2 emissions are necessary to prevent significant damage to ocean ecosystems. Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the convention, emphasized the importance of addressing this issue in the global climate change debate in Copenhagen. A study by the CBD highlights the alarming ecological scenarios and adverse impacts of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity, based on analysis of over 300 scientific literatures. The study reveals that as ocean acidification continues to rise, a significant portion of cold water corals, which serve as important habitats and food sources for commercial fish species, will be at risk of coming into contact with acidic waters by the year 2100.