The number of people choosing to travel on cruise ships has risen dramatically over the past three decades. While sailing can be a great way to see new places, learn about new cultures, and take a vacation, a new report shows the huge damage that cruise ships cause to the world.
What’s going on?
A new report has shown that the world’s biggest cruise, Carnival, has produced more harmful pollution than the capital of Scotland, Glasgow, during 2023. Per the Guardian, a report published by the Transport and Environment campaign group investigated the release of harmful pollution from the ship. companies found that Carnival is the worst cruise in Europe in 2023. MSC was the second most polluting, followed by Norwegian Cruise Line.
Specifically, the report found that Carnival was responsible for emitting approximately 2.5 million tons (2.75 million tons) of carbon, a greenhouse gas that causes global warming. In comparison, available figures for the city of Glasgow show that in 2021, it emitted 2.43 million tonnes (2.68 million tonnes) of carbon, according to the city council.
Last year’s report also found that Carnival’s fleet of 63 ships caused more sulfur oxide pollution by 2022 than all vehicles in Europe combined.
Why is this important?
Travel accounts for 8% of global carbon pollution, and while much of the focus has been on aviation, cruise ships cause more pollution per person per mile.
“Big companies have more ships and bigger ships,” said Transport and Environment’s shipping policy manager, Jacob Armstrong, to the Guardian. “But bigger is not better when it comes to emissions.”
Although many ships have brought scrubbers to reduce air pollution, the heavy metals, oils, fats, and harmful pollutants these systems are often mixed with seawater and released directly into the sea. This process does not reduce pollution but only changes where it is released, which can cause damage to marine life and marine ecosystems.
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A study by a Swedish university found that pollution from ships using scrubber technology in the Baltic Sea caused pollution worth 680 million (about $720 million) in social and economic costs between 2014 and 2022.
What is being done about cruise ship pollution?
Cruise ships are working to become more sustainable by incorporating new technology and upgrades to help reduce their environmental impact. But, many people are not sure because this change is not happening quickly.
Several major cities in Europe, including Venice and Amsterdam, have introduced bans on cruise ships in part due to concerns about environmental impacts. Also, several cities in the states of Florida, Maine, California, and Alaska are also pushing for restrictions or banning cruise ships from their ports altogether.
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