There is only so much one person can do when it comes to battling global warming. A new report indicates that was done by the Independent shows that the global shipping industry has spent billions of dollars to make sure that they can keep making as much money as possible. All while polluting the oceans due to a loophole in legislation. New environmental legislation is designed to curb air pollution from these shops. However, "bulk carriers, container ships, and oil tankers, which have the biggest engines and have historically been the worst polluters" have decided to comply with this law by simply dumping their garbage into the sea instead.
In this report, apparently many in the shipping industry have spent billions by installing "open-loop scrubbers," which extract sulfur from exhaust fumes of ships and just re-route it from the air to be dumped right into the ocean. And this is not just fir freighters and oil tankers, but cruise ships as well. "About half of the world's roughly 500 cruise ships have or will soon have scrubbers installed," according to Bryan Comer, a senior researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation.
These scrubbers will not only pollute the water, but put marine life and coral reefs at risk too. And this can even extend to humans, because it can increase the risk of some cancers. And of course it affects all of us too, since these dumps will also increase carbon dioxide emissions, which the planet is already at odds with.
This loophole is a disgusting abuse of power and money. Instead of taking a stand against climate change and making a difference, many in this industry are only working to make it worse. And all just to stay rich, for the most part.
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