A series of U3A talks and upcoming film night and community paddle-out are all trying to raise awareness about the effects of climate change and human actions on the health of the ocean.
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Nature Coast Marine Group executive committee member and former research entomologist Dr Jane Elek has been presenting a series of talks to Batemans Bay U3A on Climate Change: from global to local.
The talks have been aimed at helping attendees to understand the ripple effects of climate change from the global to the local perspective.
One such effect she outlined close to the heart of many Eurobodalla residents was the health of the oceans.
"Our ocean has been doing a lot of heavy lifting, limiting the effects of climate change," Dr Elek said.
"Covering 70 per cent of the earth's surface, it has absorbed about half of our CO2 emissions and 90 per cent of the heat we have produced since the Industrial Revolution.
"However, it is not the limitless sink for all our rubbish, toxins and heat that we have long believed.
"A healthy ocean is critical to our survival.
"And if the ocean had not absorbed 90 per cent of the additional heat in the atmosphere trapped by greenhouse gases, we would be cooking already."
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Dr Elek said the ocean's acidity had increased more than 30 percent since the industrial revolution, which threatened marine life including oysters and abalone.
"This will not only be devastating for coral reefs and shellfish industry, but will have flow-on effects for the whole of the food chain," she said.
According to the latest figures by the Bureau of Meteorology, the waters along the east coast of Australia were three degrees warmer than average this past summer.
Dr Elek said half of local reefs in the southeast were urchin barrens, with kelp struggling to grow in the warmer water where urchins thrive.
A new project is trying to reduce urchin numbers in the south east, however Dr Elek said the solution was ultimately to reduce the emissions that were causing acidification and ocean-warming.
She would like to see the state government increase the no-fishing zone of state waters.
Dr Elek's series of talks have come just before the Nature Coast Marine Group holds a community paddle out at Bar Beach, Narooma on March 12.
