Cruising cause pollution in North America

In June, Friends of the Earth US released its new Cruise Ship Report Card, documenting the environmental footprint of the cruise industry and grading 17 cruise lines and their 171 ships. The report card shows an ongoing lack of initiative by cruise companies to reduce their air and water pollution impact on travel destinations and local peoples.

Cruise ships are responsible for significant amounts of air pollution from the dirty fuel they burn. Even at the dock, cruise ships often run dirty diesel engines to provide electrical power to passengers and crew. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, each day an average cruise ship is at sea it emits more sulphur dioxide than 13 million cars and more soot than 1 million cars.
 

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