Friends of the Earth is extremely concerned about the greenhouse gases and other pollutants ships spew into the atmosphere.
SocialFunds.com -- As the world grows ever more interconnected, many of those connections are made by huge, environmentally damaging cargo ships. Large ocean going ships, including cruise ships, release more sulfur dioxide than all land transportation combined, a recent report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). ICCT further reports that ships produced 27% of the world's total nitrogen-oxide emissions, which contribute to smog and global warming.
The shipping industry's primary culprit is the bunker fuel used to propel the ships. Bunker fuel, also known as residual fuel, is literally a thick sludge that is left at the bottom of the barrel after refining petroleum. When bunker fuel is burned, it releases many air-born pollutants, including SO2. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) in US has an action plan to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from ships, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), which are not covered in the current Annex VI of MARPOL. MARPOL is a maritime environmental protection..
IMO is cooperating closely with international shipping and other relevant UN bodies, in particular the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, to ensure that the issue of shipping pollution is tackled on an international level, thereby avoiding unhelpful unilateral action on a regional or national level.
Source: http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2438.html
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