In a meeting of world governments in Germany to discuss climate change, academics have warned of a possible “underwater catastrophe.” Scientists said that ever-rising levels of carbon dioxide are being absorbed into oceans, making them increasingly more acidic and destroying the ability of coral and shellfish to create skeletons, shells and other protective structures crucial for survival. The destruction of clams and other shellfish could devastate ocean food chains, while the corrosion of coral will remove entire eco-systems. Projections show that if greenhouse gases continue to rise, the biological consequences of acidic oceans could last for thousands of years, and become irreversible by 2060.