The ocean, in silent collapse, major economic problems

What seemed until yesterday a technical discussion among scientists has today entered the center of the global debate: ocean acidification has exceeded the safety threshold for stable ecosystems. According to the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research (PIK), humanity has now exceeded seven of the nine "planetary boundaries” - scientific concepts that define how much the human species can strain natural systems without causing irreversible collapse.

For the economy, this announcement is not only an ecological warning, but a red signal for key sectors: fishing, food, tourism, energy and even social stability.

• The ocean as a barometer of global risk

The ocean absorbs a third of the carbon dioxide emitted by industry and transport. This "free natural service” is becoming a threat: the pH of the water has already dropped by 0.1 units since the beginning of the industrial era, which means an increase in acidity of almost 40%, informs AFP. Minerals essential for the formation of coral skeletons and shells - such as aragonite - are dissolving faster, which could collapse entire marine ecosystems.

Translated into economic figures, this means: more than a billion people depend on protein from fish and seafood; billion-dollar industries - from fishing to coral tourism - could decline; island states see their economic and social existence directly threatened.

• Exceeding the limits: not only ecology, but also geopolitics

The other six limits that have been exceeded (climate, biodiversity, soils, freshwater, chemicals, biogeochemical cycles) paint a grim picture: the global economy is running beyond the planet's capacity to regenerate. And when nature goes into deficit, the costs do not disappear, but move: to public budgets (disasters, infrastructure), to company balance sheets (loss of resources) and to shelf prices (more expensive food).

• Opportunity for politics and business

Although the diagnosis seems harsh, it also opens up a space for action. Climate policies: the rapid reduction of CO₂ emissions is no longer a luxury, but a condition for economic survival. Business innovation: food and energy industries that invest in "nature-positive" solutions will gain ground. Green finance: investors are increasingly looking for resilient portfolios, and companies that ignore planetary risks may become "blocked assets".

• The planet, the new economic regulator

Exceeding the limit of ocean acidification shows us that nature is no longer just a decoration of the economy, but its supreme regulator. In the face of destabilized ecosystems, stock market figures become secondary. The question is no longer whether we can continue to grow without regard for the planet, but what is the cost of not acting now.