With the Somali pirate standoff making headlines across the globe, sea travel has been a hot topic lately. And press surrounding a recent U.S. study continues to shine a light on commercial shipping, showing that it is not only hazardous to the crew who run the ships, but it also poses a threat to those of us on shore.
A study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Colorado at Boulder found that globally, commercial ships emit almost half as much air pollution as the total amount released by the world’s cars. The study, conducted over the summer of 2008 and released this past February, also revealed that commercial vessels generate enough air pollution to pose a significant health concern for people living in coastal communities. According to NOAA, the study is the first to provide a global estimate of maritime shipping’s total impact on air particle pollution based on direct measurements of emissions.
Some good news is that earlier this month, the EPA announced that it is getting closer to setting a new global agreement in place that will lessen ship pollution within 200 miles of American shores. In addition, the International Maritime Organization, which regulates shipping for 168 member nations, has enacted mandatory standards for phasing in cleaner engine fuel, and has issued a mandate for sulfur in marine fuel to be reduced by 90 percent by 2020.
While strides are being made, scientists warn that that unless these soaring greenhouse gas emissions are curbed immediately, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are on track to pass 650 parts-per-million (ppm), which could cause an average global temperature rise of 4C. According to the UK’s Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, this temperature rise would mean that between 7 million and 300 million more people would be affected by coastal flooding each year, there would be a 30-50 percent reduction in water availability in southern Africa and the Mediterranean, agricultural yields would decline 15-35 percent in Africa and 20-50 percent of animal and plant species would face extinction.
Immediate action to make commercial ships cleaner is crucial in order to create a healthier environment for people living in coastal communities and for the well-being of our planet.
Source: BecauseAction.com
