Whereas – global climate change is occurring at an unprecedented rate, primarily through the combustion of fossil fuels and the generation of carbon dioxide.

Whereas – carbon dioxide is a potent greenhouse gas that is both warming the planet as it increases in the atmosphere, and causing ocean acidification through its absorption by the world’s oceans.

Whereas – the global scientific community has reached a consensus, based on extensive measurements and models, that climate change and ocean acidification have been influenced in large part by human actions.

Whereas – climate change and ocean acidification are causing significant changes in organisms, habitats, biotic communities, and ecosystems and are predicted to cause irreversible negative impacts on living systems by the middle to the end of the 21st century.

Therefore – be it resolved that the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), with a membership comprised of over two thousand three-hundred biologists, takes a public stand in affirming the demonstrated existence of human-induced climate change and ocean acidification, as well as the urgent societal need to address its biological consequences, to improve humankind’s adaptive capacity, and to mitigate both causes and effects.

Prepared by Jim McClintock, PhD

Chair, Division of Invertebrate Zoology

Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology

Revised by Kenneth P. Sebens, PhD, SICB President

and SICB Executive Committee