Cruise pollution in the Caribbean
Tara Mason
Monroe College
February 5, 2017
Abstract
It is widely argued that Marine Pollution is becoming a highly-debated topic as this industry makes billions of dollars without attention to the marine life. It therefore stands to reason that the United Nations are taking a great interest in getting countries to at least look at local legislation to govern their territorial waters. Using a report from 2002, examining these unsolicited contributions through waste streams and other impacts will demonstrate that the problems are still widely present perhaps due to the influence by the cruise liners. It is my intention to highlight the damages to our cruise industry and share possible
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3. Are the cruise vessels conscience of the damage caused and do they care?
4. What is the international community doing to help in the fight of marine and ocean destruction by cruise vessels?
Research Questions Key questions will arise in conducting this research. Such highlights areas we take for granted but are still useful in finding solutions to what can be a potential problem. The environment division is a watchdog in Antigua and Barbuda to ensure that marine life is preserved and maintained. Therefore, it makes sense that questions listed below are poignant in determining solutions for the cruise industry:
1. Are cruise lines to be blamed for ocean pollution?
2. What are some recommendations that could assist the fight in ocean pollution?
Purpose Statement The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of pollution caused by cruise vessels in our oceans. This is an important subject because in Antigua and Barbuda, “Tourism is everybody’s business”, as our main motto will illustrate. We cannot improve on cruise ship calls and do not look at potential damages or potential solutions to already damaged marine life because this will affect tourist arrivals and so forth; Imagine a country that cannot boast its marine life because of pollutants that erode that market, then what sense will the cruise ships come to our shores? This is the reason to carefully evaluate the effects of the cruise tourism and cruise
Throughout many decades there has been a huge environmental problem, not only putting marine life at risk but also human health. Ocean pollution is a big threat to the habitat and still today we haven’t stopped throwing trash, chemicals or toxins into the oceans. During the 1940’s, a technical service of the Army dumped a lot of chemical warfare into the sea, believing the type of gas will dissolve in the water becoming harmless in minutes. At that time, fishermen were able to catch a lot of fish, it wasn’t until they were out of luck and all they could see were dead fish floating on the surface. Many people think that oil spills and trash are the only types of ocean pollution, but they’re also forgetting about chemical, bacterial and thermal pollution. Polluted seas can be the cause of many diseases or infections, especially if people don’t take big measures like telling their kids not to “accidentally” drink water from rivers or lakes when swimming. Marine animals are a big part of our food chain if they carry diseases or toxins we’re also in big danger. Today, there have been many people who have been trying to stop others from polluting the oceans, but they still haven’t been able to convince the whole world to end ocean pollution. The government, instead of wasting money on unnecessary things like building walls or building more towers and creating more trash they should build trash contractors that will help with the trash floating around in the seas. There are
Although the ocean covers approximately two thirds of the Earth’s surface, it is surprisingly susceptible to human influences. The effects of rubbish dumping have tainted our oceans and they have taken their toll on the vast marine environments and the populations in which they contain. Rubbish dumping involves depositing all the waste materials from factories and industries, tankers and ships and sewerage waste materials into the oceans and seas. In the report “Causes and Effects of Ocean Dumping”, the author Sharda states that “The wastes that are dumped into the oceans tend to have toxic substances which soak in all the oceanic oxygen. This leads to a marked depletion of oxygen
The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. The well-being of the ocean is constantly being threatened and needs to stop. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems suffer and become endangered along with the lives of people and marine life. The importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world 's coasts must be recognized because they are truly irreplaceable. If humans are not educated , and become careless about what is thrown on the ground or sprayed on lawns, disastrous effects follow when it comes to the condition of the ocean’s ecosystems, which can endanger life itself, leading to a problem only we can correct. There is historical evidence of ocean pollution, although the problem still shadows us today.
Earth's oceans are dying. “About 80% of the ocean around the world is polluted with chemicals industrial and residential waste, all of which comes from the land” (“Marine Problems…”). Pollution is mainly coming from the people. Marine pollution should be stopped because it is the cause of many problems and if something is done about it, people will see an increase in sea life and healthier waters. It makes its way into the ocean and kills marine life. Ocean pollution is affecting the way of fisherman and their everyday lives. It is also very bad on the community because pollution is very bad on tourism. Ocean pollution should be stopped because it is poorly affecting marine life, it is not good for fishermen, and is very bad on tourism.
Marine pollution is not a new phenomenon, but our acknowledgement of its impacts and severity is relatively new, with the first laws and discussions to counter it only appearing in the 1950’s. For much of history, it was thought that the oceans were so large that any pollution created would be negligible and easily diluted (Marine Pollution). Since, countless research and laws have been implemented in order to preserve our marine ecosystems because of how crucial these ecosystems are to humanity.
A large number of marine species are known to be harmed and/or killed by plastic debris, which jeopardize their survival, since many are already endangered by other forms of anthropogenic activities. Marine animals are affected through entanglement in and ingestion of plastic litter (Marine Debris). Less conspicuous forms, such as plastic pellets and “scrubbers” are also hazardous. To address the problem of plastic debris in the oceans is a difficult task, and a variety of approaches are required. According to research conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, 14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into the ocean each year. That is more than 38 million pounds a day. More than 85% of all the trash that is dumped comes from the world’s merchant shipping fleet. According to the same research, the United States is responsible for an estimated one- third of all the trash that is dumped into the ocean (Amaral). The reason this is still going on is because the majority of the trash that is dumped is in international waters. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that convened in 1982 defines territorial waters and international waters as: territorial waters are waters extending up to 12 nautical miles from a coastal state, and they are considered to be within the jurisdiction of that particular state or ‘territorial waters’ If oceans, seas, rivers or lakes extend beyond international boundaries and are not territorial waters, they are classed as
The cruise industry provides an increase of tourism industry within the ports and its country. For example, restaurants, hotels, taxis, theme parks, museums, shops, taxi drivers and travel guides are all positively affected as it will increase local employment within the city and its ports. Anyhow, cruise industry will brings large sums of revenues to the local city and governments. That is why, I think this enhances the relationship with cruise companies and Politicians will be efficient both sides.
Many prominent marine biologist and conservationist such as Guy Harvey have lectured my school on many of the problems that are causing problems to coral reefs in the Caribbean. With the accompaniment of my marine biology teacher in high school, I traveled in a submarine observing the flora and fauna on the ocean floor. As we glided through the ocean our teacher informed us on the Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes that found their home in the rocks and coral reefs. We also traveled near the port where the cruise ships dock, and noticed that the ocean floor was baron due to the weakening of the coral reefs caused by anchoring that get swept away when hurricanes churn the water. Not only anchoring can demolish the coral, but the influx of the temperature can as well. If a large amount of boats are patrolling an area the oil and gas from the engine can pollute the water or raise the temperature. Sometimes it only takes and influx of one degree Fahrenheit for the zooxanthellae, a form of algae that is responsible for photosynthesis, can die and cause coral bleaching. Even just by touching the coral repetitively you can break apart the delicate coral. I find it compelling that this issue be addressed because I am an avid fisherman. I enjoy the relaxation and thrill of deep sea fishing, and
Our Earth is covered by over 75% water. Every elementary school student in the United States knows that information. But, something that isn’t stated so obviously is that our oceans matter a lot. They play a very pivotal role in the weather, ecosystems, and to even the almighty human. Your average Joe might not see it in his daily life, but up until 1972, individuals and corporations dumped an estimated 100 million tons of petroleum products, 38 million tons of dredged material (34% of that being polluted), and a frightening 89,000 containers of radioactive waste. That is the reason the environmental issue at hand today in this paper is ocean dumping. The reason most of that stopped in 1972 is because of the exact policy that will be discussed. The policy in question is the “Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, or MPRSA for short. While yes, MPRSA did solve many problems in regards to ocean dumping, the policy itself is not perfect. The organization, or roadmap, of this paper will be broken down into three parts: background information of the issue and policy, economic analysis of the policy, and personal recommendations to policy makers on ways to improve the policy.
The oceans face many types of pollution every day, every second. The ocean is our greatest ecosystem and out most valuable resource. A common misconception is that the rainforests are the lungs of the planet however, the majority of our oxygen is made via the algae in the sea. The oceans feeds, hydrates, and provides us with oxygen; ironically enough, despite its monetary value to mankind, it is what is treated the worst. For ages we have been dumping our trash, chemicals, and waste into the oceans with no fear or regret, almost an “out of sight- out of mind” mentality. People once and still assume that the oceans are so vast that all of the pollution is diluted and would be dispersed through out, going unnoticed. However, dilution is a myth and an idea that renders ocean dumping to be less impactful. Even so much of the man made pollution is becoming even more concentrated and have entered our natural food chain. However vast the waters of the ocean are, they are not meant to house all of these external factors. There are many alternatives to marine pollution including recycling, finding alternative trash dump sites, cutting down on harmful chemicals for agriculture, and most importantly having the ability to recognize when a problem is developing and counter act, immediately.
Ocean pollution is one of the most urgent issues in our world today. The ocean is crucial to our ecosystem and it is being severely damaged at an alarmingly increasing rate. In this paper I will educate about the role the ocean plays in our beautiful Earth, why it is being so widely ignored and dismissed, the causes of pollution, and its effects on animals and humans alike.
Although the ocean covers approximately two thirds of the Earth’s surface, it is surprisingly susceptible to human influences. The effects of rubbish dumping have tainted our oceans and they have taken their toll on the vast marine environments and the populations in which they contain. Rubbish dumping involves depositing all the waste materials from factories and industries, tankers and ships and sewerage waste materials into the oceans and seas. In the report “Causes and Effects of Ocean Dumping”, the author Sharda states that “The wastes that are dumped into the oceans tend to have toxic substances which soak in all the oceanic oxygen. This
Tourism plays a major role on the infrastructure of the Caribbean countries. Without tourism, the Caribbean’s would perhaps be unknown territories among the ocean. The three major impacts of tourism in the Caribbean are social, cultural and environmental. Tourism impacts the Caribbean socially by proving jobs and services for the people and and generating a revenue
The final uncontrollable force affecting the cruise line industry is competition (Montalvo, 2007). This is probably the least influential force since 91% of the cruise line industry is made up of three companies-Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Star. These three organizations are world-famous and have developed the cruise concept to the point that there is a cruise that will fit just about every person’s destination dream and budget reality.
Dr. Ross K. Dowling is Foundation Professor and Head of Tourism in the School of Marketing, Tourism and Leisure, Faculty of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. Professor Dowling is an international speaker, author, researcher and consultant on tourism with over 200 publications. He is passionate about Cruise Industry and he has lectured on board Silver Cloud around the east coast of Australia and New Zealand. The second source: Cruise Ship Tourism is the first comprehensive academic book to raise the awareness of cruise industry. It analyses current status of cruise industry and investigates a number of industry issues and predicts the future trends. This book gives clear direction from academic viewpoint.