Are we on the verge of seeing a mass extinction in Earth’s oceans? That’s what a group of top ocean scientists warn in a new report released this week by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean. Because of pollution and global warming – the oceans are losing oxygen and becoming more acidic – threatening to trigger a mass extinction not seen in over 50 million years – when half of all the life in the oceans was wiped out.

Scientist Daniel Laffoley – a co-author of the report – said, “We now face losing marine species and entire marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, within a single generation…and we are also probably the last generation that has enough time to deal with the problems."

We all have to realize soon that we can’t live above and beyond our environment anymore – if [the ocean] dies – then we die too.