January 22, 2008

Cruise Ships Worse For Environment Than Planes

Cruise ships emit three times more CO2 than airplanes, reports the Telegraph. In its annual report, Carnival, which comprises 11 cruise lines, said it emits 401 grams of CO2 per passenger, which this article claims is 36 times greater than the per passenger emission of Eurostar and more than three times that for a Boeing 747 passenger. The Passenger Shipping Association said that a ferry, on average, releases 120 grams of CO2 per passenger.

But Bill Gibbons, director of PSA, said, “The cruise ship also uses energy for laundry, restaurants, theater” and other things more than mere transport whereas “a lot of CO2 emissions involved in flying-from food preparation to waste treatment-aren’t counted in airlines’ figures.”

But Justin Francis of Responsibletravel.com, a group that offers a directory that minimizes environmental damage, said, “Some cruises involve a flight to the departure destination, something of a double carbon whammy.” In addition, Our Planet magazine says that a cruise ship passenger accounts for 3.5 kilograms of trash daily, compared to 0.8 kilograms generated by local people on shore.

Cruise ships contend they are working hard to lessen their environmental impact. Royal Caribbean said it had installed advanced water purification systems on board and smokeless gas-turbine engines and that it also burns bio-fuel when available.

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