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An international team of scientists has identified the need for close monitoring of the cruise ship industry at the legislative level to protect the environment and human health
What’s going on
- According to a study prepared by a group of scientists from Spain, Croatia and the UK, the cruise ship industry should be subject to global monitoring and requires the development of effective restrictive legislation in connection with the annual increase in negative consequences for the environment and human health. The results of the study are published in the scientific journal Marine Pollution Bulletin.
- According to experts, cruise ships are the main source of environmental pollution, since their activities lead to the degradation of air, water, soil, entire ecosystems, as well as wildlife. It is noted that one ship produces more carbon dioxide than 12 thousand cars.
- The researchers also cite other numbers: according to their calculations, the passengers of the liner during a seven-day cruise can produce the same amount of COXNUMX emissions.2how much is the average European for a whole year. And emissions from cruise ships in the Mediterranean account for up to 10% of all ship emissions in the world’s oceans.
- In addition, this industry is a potential source of risk for the physical and psychological health of passengers, staff, as well as residents of port cities and those who work at shipyards. First, cruise ships are at high risk for the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Secondly, the researchers found that exposure to noise and air pollution, as well as difficult working conditions for court personnel, can lead to mental disorders.
What does it mean
Reduction of CO emissions2 and carbon footprint from various industries is one of the priorities of the global environmental agenda. According to UN experts, only immediate and decisive action by the international community will make it possible to avoid a global climate catastrophe – and even in this case, the temperature of the Earth’s surface will increase by more than the 1,5 ° C established in the Paris Climate Agreement (compared to pre-industrial levels) leading to significant changes in the climate system.
The tourist cruise ship industry, in turn, is one of the main environmental polluters – cruise ships produce about 56 liters of hazardous chemical waste daily, emit a range of pollutants into the atmosphere, and the carbon footprint of a person who chooses this type of tourism increases three times. In addition, they have a serious impact on human health. Experts estimate that every year between 40 and 100 Britons die prematurely due to emissions from the shipping and cruise industry, with residents of major port cities such as Southampton, Grimsby and Liverpool being the first to suffer.
“The cruise industry is a prime example of how the themes of human health and environmental protection are intertwined,” said study author Josep Lloret, chair of ocean science and human health at the University of Girona.
Currently, the sector is still growing, but environmental activists are actively drawing attention to this problem. In addition, they manage to achieve changes in their favor – for example, in July 2021, the Italian government decided to close the Venetian Lagoon from cruise ships in order to protect the ecosystem and the historical heritage of the city – ten years went to this decision.