How is the Cruise Line Industry Affecting our Environment?
When you imagine a cruise ship you probably think of vacation, getting a tan, relaxation and beautiful ocean views and not sewage and pollution. As the cruise line industry grows, so do the negative side effects it has on our environment. Cruise ships produce a large amount of waste and pollution. There are several different forms of pollution associated with cruises that are taking a toll on the environment. Air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, and sewage just to name a few. A single passenger's carbon footprints is multiplied by three while embarking on their cruise vacation (Pacific Standard 2016).
Fuel
Cruise ships are often referred to as floating cities and they burn as much fuel as an actual city does. The ships can burn more than 80,600 gallons of fuel in just one day (Mechanical Engineering University of Colorado Bolder 2016). This is more fuel than a single person can burn over their entire lifetime of driving.
Sewage
Passengers onboard can produce about 210,000 gallons of human waste each voyage (Pacific Standard 2016). Ships are required to treat this water by using a Marine Sanitation Device. This device is designed to filter out all of the harmful bacteria from sewage. After the sewage is treated, it is released into the ocean. Often times this machine does not catch all of the bacteria and contaminates end up going into the ocean. The bacteria left behind can harm both wildlife and humans. Graywater is the waste water from showers, sinks, and laundry. Cruise ships create five times as much graywater as sewage, and like sewage, it is released into our oceans (Pacific Standard 2016).
Noise Pollution
Noise pollution is the sound that comes from the ships. Noise pollution may not seem like a big deal but it negatively impacts marine life. Noise travels further in water than it does on land, so it affects more animals than most realize. Marine life are very sensitive to sounds. It can cause damage to their ears and they sometimes even die from hemorrhages (Marine Insight 2016). Marine life, such as whales, use underwater sounds to search for food, mates, and danger. The noise pollution from ships disrupts their ability to seek these out.
What are Cruise Lines doing about it?
All cruise lines are reacting differently to the environmental concerns of the industry. Some cruise lines are making it their priority to reduce their carbon footprint and preserve the environment so they can continue to strive. Friends of the Earth created a Cruise Ship Report Card that grades each cruise line on different categories related to sustainability: Sewage Treatment, Air Pollution Reduction, Water Quality Compliance, Transparency, and Change from 2014. Disney Cruise Line is the most environmentally friendly cruise line with a final grade of A- (Friends of the Earth 2016).
Disney Cruise Line offers passengers a firework show during deck parties. The fireworks are made out of biodegradable materials that become fish food once they enter the water.
Cruise lines are constantly building new ships and with each new ship comes new technology that makes it more environmentally friendly. It is possible to go on a cruise vacation without having to feel guilty about the negative impacts on the environment if you do your research beforehand and choose a cruise line that does its part to preserve the environment.
Work Cited
CLIA Global. (2016, October 14). Cruise Industry Environmental Efforts [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhQtGx98GCA
Disney Parks. (2017, May 29). Behind the Waves: Energy Efficiency Onboard Disney Cruise Line [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_rXqBmNYw
Disney Parks. (2016, September 27) Restoring Health of Coral Reefs [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjrtWq5HuUk
Marine Insight. (2016, July 21). Effects from noise pollution from ships on marine life. Retrieved from https://www.marineinsight.com/environment/effects-of-noise-pollution-from-ships-on-marine-life/
Mechanical Engineering University of Colorado Bolder. (2016, July 25). How much fuel does a cruise ship use?.Retrieved from https://www.colorado.edu/mechanical/2016/07/25/how-much-fuel-does-cruise-ship-use
Pacific Standard. (2016, December 7). How cruise ships are polluting our oceans. Retrieved from https://psmag.com/news/how-cruise-ships-are-polluting-our-oceans
2016 Cruise ship report card. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://foe.org/cruise-report-card/
What have you noticed cruise lines are doing to do more environmentally friendly?
-Cruise lines are starting to do more recycling. They will use cooking oil on the ship and then reuse it on private islands to fuel small motors. They encourage passengers to be more environmentally friendly by doing things like reusing towels. Cruise lines are staring to filter ocean water and use it for drinking water as well as filtering and reusing pool water. Cruise lines will also freeze food waste so it can be off-shored. The freezing helps with the smell. Off-shoring food waste is to prevent ocean life from becoming reliant on human food. Straws and lids are being eliminated from beverage stations to prevent litter in the ocean. Norwegian has an environmental officer on each ship and it is becoming more popular with all cruise lines.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
