We promise you an unforgettable holiday with beautiful horizons and PM levels few have experienced since the Great Smog. Photo: Flickr.com / Carlo Mirante CC BY

High air pollution levels found on cruise ship’s deck

Undercover measurements of harmful ultra-fine particles (PM) on the sun deck of a European cruise ship revealed concentrations up to 200 times higher than natural background levels and 20 times worse than in the busy city centres with heavy traffic, according to the German environmental group Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU).

The measurements were made for the French documentary television series Thalassa. Previously, NABU had made a series of air pollution measurements in several port cities and next to cruise ship terminals in Venice, Hamburg, Marseille and Barcelona.
NABU’s transport policy officer, Daniel Rieger, warned that the results are most likely indicative of the poor air quality on nearly all cruise ships. But it wouldn’t be difficult for cruise ships to reduce emissions – improvements could be made by switching to cleaner fuel, ideally road diesel or liquid natural gas, and by installing particle filters and nitrogen catalysts, he said.

Source: NABU press release, 24 January 2017: https://en.nabu.de/news/2017/21870.html
The Telegraph, 1 February 2017: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/news/air-pollution-levels-200-...

Air pollutionHealthShipping

In this issue

Livestock on leftovers

Greenhouse gas and nitrogen emissions from agriculture in the Nordic countries could be reduced by up to 80 per cent with a diet of purely organic produce from an almost self-sufficient food system.

Editorial: Another agricultural system is possible

The current production and consumption of food in the western world is unsustainable. For example, in the EU food consumption is responsible for almost one third of the total environmental impact.

New NEC Directive in force

When fully implemented in 2030, the directive will nearly halve the negative health impacts of air pollution, such as respiratory diseases and premature death.

Big emissions from small chimneys

Domestic wood burning is a major source of air pollutant emissions – a new eco-labelled wood stove is allowed to emit 25 times more health-damaging particles than a ten-year old diesel truck.

CCS is still a failure

After decades of talking and billions of euros in investments there are no large commercial CO₂ storage facilities in Norway, Canada, the US or anywhere else in the world.

Global warming and its implications for coral reefs

At current projected levels of temperature increase it has been suggested that tropical coral reefs could be lost altogether as soon as 2050.

EU needs to shut all coal plants by 2030

The EU will need to phase out CO₂ emissions from all of its coal plants in the next 15 years if it is to meet the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goals, according to a new Climate Analytics report released in Brussels in February 2017.

How to get people to eat less meat

Personality, friends, religion and political instruments all have an impact on what we eat. A successful strategy to reduce meat consumption therefore needs to have a mixed approach that targets different factors simultaneously.

Stronger air quality measures needed

Air pollution remains the single largest environmental health hazard in Europe, resulting in a lower quality of life due to illnesses and nearly half a million premature deaths per year.

Cost-effective to cut ship NOx emissions

By supplementing NOx Emission Control Areas with economic instruments, ship NOx emissions can be cut faster and further.

Coal project in Croatia stopped

Croatian electricity company HEP Proizvodnja was proposing that a new 500 MW unit replace the ageing Plomin 1 plant, at the site of the existing Plomin Power Station. As a result, the Plomin Power Station capacity would have increased from 335 MW to 710 MW

High air pollution levels found on cruise ship’s deck

In this issue

Livestock on leftovers

Editorial: Another agricultural system is possible

New NEC Directive in force

Big emissions from small chimneys

CCS is still a failure

Global warming and its implications for coral reefs

EU needs to shut all coal plants by 2030

How to get people to eat less meat

Stronger air quality measures needed

Cost-effective to cut ship NOx emissions

Coal project in Croatia stopped

In Breif

Bulgaria faces court for air quality failure

Air pollution linked to fifth of pre-term births

No improvement in fuel efficiency for years

Four of world’s biggest cities to ban diesel cars

Trucks and buses cleaner than diesel cars

China forecasts stable or declining CO2 emissions

US greenhouse gas emissions fell in 2015

Portugal halts oil exploration

Global soil carbon losses in response to warming

WHO air quality guidelines – report

High emissions from chainsaws and trimmers

Chinese ship emission control areas

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

What we do

Air pollution

Climate Change

Policy initiatives

Do Your Bit!