Oceans worth $222bn annually in CO2 capture

By absorbing carbon emissions from the atmosphere, the seas avert climate damage worth up to $222 billion every year, according to an estimate released on Thursday.
Fish catches are worth another $16 billion annually, according to the report by a non-governmental watchdog, the Global Ocean Commission, which hopes that by setting an economic price on the value of international waters, the bounty will be better managed.
The study, coinciding with World Environment Day, was released ahead of two days of ministerial-level talks in Bonn that will seek to remove roadblocks towards a new post-2020 UN climate agreement.
The ocean naturally takes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) though microscopic marine organisms at the surface, which convert the gas to carbon.
The process prevents the gas from adding to global warming although it is also making the seas more acidic, which will have an impact on many ecosystems, according to AFP.