Why Are Cruise Ships Bad For The Environment

Cruise ships generate significant quantities of wastes that the industry disposes of with surprisingly little regulation.

Why are cruise ships bad for the environment. But all those people use resources and produce waste. Tourists sleep and eat on cruise ships which means very little is spent in the local economy and this is a problem across the world. When it comes to the environment cruising has a bad reputation.

Sewage and rubbish being dumped air and water being polluted invasive species being introduced by pumping ballast water. Cruise ships which are often hundreds of feet long and carry thousands of passengers and crew have been compared to floating cities. The impact of cruise ships on the environment is an important issue that needs to be addressed in order to mitigate damage to the surrounding ecosystem.

Your carbon footprint is high. Steve CordoryShutterstock Not only can cruise ships generate the same amount of sulfur dioxide fumes as 131 million cars in a day but they also dump boatloads of noxious bilge water into the ocean. On top of the pollution caused by their exhaust fumes cruise ships have been caught discarding trash fuel and sewage directly into the ocean.

Cruise lines some of which have ships rivaling the size of small cities are responding to this increased growth of tourism and many are committed to becoming more environmentally friendly. It should be noted that larger cruise ships have capacities of up to 8000 passengers. Cruise ships are also responsible for significant air pollution from the dirty fuel they burn which can lead to serious human health problems especially in port communities.

How this sewage is handled by cruise operators is a major cause for concern when dealing with cruise ship environmental impact. Cruise ships have been accused of being as polluting as a million cars. Emissions from cruise ship engines include nitrogen oxides sulfur.

Thats because a large cruise carries thousands of passengers each of whom produces a personal waste stream. Look below the surface and you come across all sorts of horror stories. With limited regulatory oversight wastewater is often discharged into.