4 ms·
Cars have been regulated to the point where they have an incredible array of pollution control mechanisms since the smog crisis of the 80s. No, most of the poll
by endorphone 7y ago
Cars have been regulated to the point where they have an incredible array of pollution control mechanisms since the smog crisis of the 80s. No, most of the pollution isn't from cars.
Cruise ships, in contrast, have very little regulation, burn the worst of the worst types of fuel, and have effectively no pollution control. A single cruise ship is estimated to produce more pollution than one million cars. In Europe, cruise ships emit 10x more pollution on the coastlines than the EU's entire 260 million cars. Etc.
- chiefalchemist 7y agoAdd in the ships carrying containers (of goods) and the amount of pollution is massive. It's ironic that we we're able to cooperate to make the global market work, but we can't address the unintended consequences of all that transporting.
- Ericson2314 7y agoYeah very suspicious, isn't it.
- Ericson2314 7y agoI.e. if you can't enforce some environmental tax elsewhere, you can still tariff the difference. Other countries will then be incentivized to make the same tax so they get the revenue instead of you. Race to the top! What's the problem?!
- bwb 7y agoThe EU is about to roll some out and the new fuel standards might help for anyone docking in the EU... But ya, we need to do more.
- tjoff 7y agoYet it won't have any effect on international waters. Indeed more needs to be done.
- NeedMoreTea 7y agoThere was a time when a dominant navy might enforce their will in international waters. A more climate enlightened USA (or China) might one day do the same.
- TheCoelacanth 7y ago> A single cruise ship is estimated to produce more pollution than one million cars. In Europe, cruise ships emit 10x more pollution on the coastlines than the EU's entire 260 million cars. That statement, unqualified, is simply untrue. They produce more of specific types of pollution, NOx and SOx. They do not produce more pollution in general. Cars still produce a huge amount of carbon, particulate matter and VOCs. Ship pollution does need to be addressed, but this sentiment comes dangerously close to letting cars off the hook for the massive amounts of pollution they produce.
- endorphone 7y agoCars produce little VOCs and are not a significant source. When it comes to particulate matter cars are absolutely eclipsed by sea vessels, with a single cruise ship creating more than a million cars. VOCs -- irrelevant to this conversation. SOx, NOs, Particulate Matter -- A single cruise ship is worse than a million cars. The cruise ship industry absolutely eclipses cars by a magnitude+. Carbon -- cars produce a lot of greenhouse gases. That isn't an air quality issue, though, which is the topic that we're talking about. Cruise ships are an absolute disaster ecologically. Cars are bad, but again because cars are bad we have made incredible progress.
- Jamwinner 7y agoLooks like someone elsewhere in the comments did the math, it is absolutely true. Cars literally use precious metals to catlyze pollutants form a highly refined fuel source, controled for a perfect stociometric burn in real time while ships... well they just belch it out. If you think the two are even nearly equal you are uninformed about how cars work, how ships work, or likely both.
- TheCoelacanth 7y agoNo, they made the same error I just called out. Ships produce more of certain specific pollutants. They don't produce more pollution in general.
- 7y ago