Cost of Aquatic Pollution Damage Estimated at EUR13bn Annually
LONDON, October 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Global shipping is causing damage to the marine environment estimated at EUR13 billion ($18 billion) annually, according to environmental charity The Going Blue Foundation. This is the first time a cost has been attributed to the reparation expense of all pollution caused solely by commercial shipping and cruises.
The figure was arrived at using the Acquatrail formula(c) devised by Marine Positive. Marine Positive advises municipalities and businesses on ways to first reduce their contribution to marine pollution and then offset their unavoidable remaining acquatrail - the negative impact of pollution on the world's waters - with reparative aquatic projects.
The Acquatrail formula(c) includes carbon gas emissions plus all forms of liquid and solid waste. Some cruise liners alone leave a trail of almost 760,000 litres of sewage and other liquid waste each day according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Says Susannah Stewart of The Going Blue Foundation: "For the first time it has been possible to attach a monetary make-good value to the acquatrail of the shipping industry. We haven't even started to calculate the acquatrail of landside pollution, which in fact accounts for 80% of aquatic pollution. Shipping is but a small part of the overall picture."
The study was commissioned by The Going Blue Foundation and calculated by Marine Positive with support from Prof. Roberto Danovaro, director of the marine science department at the Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy.
The acquatrail considers the cost of restoring aquatic environments to health after the damage has been done. The unit costs are derived from current market costs and vary according to country and environmental profile.
Note to the Editor:
The Going Blue Foundation raises the issue of aquatic pollution and its impact on all forms of life and manages aquatic reparation projects. http://www.gobluetoo.com http://www.blueports.com
Marine Positive Ltd. holds the rights to the Acquatrail formula that it developed in co-operation with the Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy.
The acquatrail is the aquatic equivalent of the carbon footprint in that it considers all the pollutants, gaseous, solid and liquid, that damage aquatic environments. It completes the environmental impact family alongside the carbon and water footprints.
SOURCE The Going Blue Foundation
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