The Problem
Shipping has long been a major area of global trade and continues to grow, expand and add to the economy. In the era of climate change, however, a rapidly expanding shipping industry isn’t all good news. Many vessels rely on dirty fuels to power their voyages across our ocean. These fuels release many different types of pollution—from noxious fumes that are harmful to breathe to potent greenhouse gases that contribute to the worsening climate crisis.
More vessels releasing these pollutants pose a host of threats to our climate as well as to the health of our ocean and all those who rely on it.
Do you know these four dirty facts about vessel traffic?
- The shipping industry emits an estimated 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
- Ship engines produce climate-changing pollutants, including black carbon and carbon dioxide.
- International shipping emissions are now responsible for roughly 3% of the world’s greenhouse gases (GHGs).
- If international shipping were a country, it would be the sixth-largest GHG emitter.
Emissions from the shipping industry do more than just contribute to runaway climate change; they also choke the air in portside communities, often working-class communities of color, with pollution that causes an estimated 250,000 premature deaths and six million childhood asthma cases globally each year.