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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Jonathan Watts

World’s oceans fail key health check as acidity crosses critical threshold for marine life

A scuba diver alongside extensive coral bleaching at Ningaloo Reef in Australia in February 2025
Cold-water corals, tropical coral reefs and Arctic marine life are especially at risk. Photograph: Brooke Pyke

The world’s oceans have failed a key planetary health check for the first time, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels, a report has shown.

In its latest annual assessment, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said ocean acidity had crossed a critical threshold for marine life.

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