In November 2006, my husband Sven and I read a piece in The New Yorker magazine that changed our lives. In the article, ‘The Darkening Sea’, journalist Elizabeth Kolbert reported in detail on ocean acidification, which she called ‘the flip side of global warming’.We were shocked to learn that this rapidly rising acidity, the little known consequence of CO2 combining with sea water, has the potential to extinguish life in the seas.Our desire to do something about the threat posed by ocean acidification led us on a most unusual global journey as we put together the documentary film ‘A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish’. We hope that the film will bring this issue to the attention of the wider public and to policy makers who have the ability to effect change.Making an engaging and effective documentary on this subject was a challenging undertaking, but one that we knew had to be completed. The film draws the audience into the story, which uncovers the immediate and ongoing effects of CO2 on our global oceans.Ocean acidification is the phenomena of ocean water becoming more acidic as a result of the absorption of increasing amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. The combustion of fossil fuels in power plants, for transportation and a range of other human activities, currently puts 70 million tons per day of CO2 into the atmosphere. Of that total, some 22 million tons or approximately one-third of the total CO2 is absorbed by the oceans and combines with water to form carbonic acid.Carbonic acid in the oceans is particularly corrosive in fact, destructive to marine organisms that have shells made from calcium carbonate. To date, ocean scientists have been able to measure the corrosive effects of ocean acidification on calcifying zooplankton species. These organisms are at the base of the ocean’s food web. As a result, the food supply of many fish species consumed by people is being directly threatened.Since CO2 emissions are changing the oceans and the planet so rapidly, I continue to ask myself and others what it will take to convince people that the situation is urgent.In the same way that The New Yorker article shocked us into action, our primary goal is to use the film and the continually emerging scientific information to build awareness of ocean acidification.As the director of the film, I wanted to introduce the concept of ocean acidification in a way that touches across generations on a personal level, while learning through the voices and actions of scientists.A Sea Change reveals the story through the voice of a Norwegian grandfather my husband, Sven who is concerned that his American grandson, Elias, will never know the seas as he did as a child. Through Sven’s growing relationship with his six-year-old grandson, ocean acidification becomes an issue that touches cultural and personal chords. Sven’s odyssey is driven by his childhood memories as well as by his lifetime concern for the environment.Just as the film heightens the audience’s concern for our oceans and our planet, it also inspires with optimism. Efforts to reduce CO2 emissions are underway worldwide. In the film, we meet people in the United States, and elsewhere, who are already poised to take advantage of the next economic boom that is predicted in alternative energy systems.We recognise that China and India are rapidly becoming world leaders in alternative energy markets. China, with a top down economy, is in a position to act quickly once they see that there is more money to be made in moving in the direction of clean energy technologies. In the last third of the film, we show signs of change and provide possibilities for a better energy future.My hope is that the film will serve as a catalyst for immediate change as it entertains and informs the audience about the dangers of waiting too long and failing to move beyond fossil fuel and ‘business as usual’.***A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish will screen in the Tradewinds Auditorium of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on Sunday June 24 at 3pm as part of the Weekend Film Series, co-presented by Bermuda Docs and the BUEI. Dr Tammy Trott, Government’s Senior Marine Resources Officer, and Dr Samantha de Putron, Associate Scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science who is conducting research on the effects of ocean acidification — will take part in a question and answer session after the film. Tickets, $15, are on sale now in the Oceans Gift Shop, BUEI, or by calling 297-7314.