Pollution is the beginning of an impurity into the atmosphere. Pollution is usually caused by human activities, but is it also an outcome of natural disasters. (“Pollution”) It is happening all over the world and it is causing major issues for the environment as a whole. One of the biggest offenders of air pollution is the cruise line industry. According to EPA.gov, sewage, graywater, bilge water, ballast water, and solid water are just some of the many contributors to the pollution that cruise lines give off. ("Cruise Ship Discharges.") There is a major concern about the possible environmental impacts of these waste discharges that the cruise lines are giving off.
According to Cruising.org, cruising is one of the most affordable and enjoyable vacations today. With an estimated 20 million passengers in 2012, the cruise line industry made about $42 billion. The industry was able to employ approximately 356,000 workers last year. Additionally, they paid $17.4 billion in wages to American workers in 2012 alone. The cruise industry in anticipating an increase to almost 21 million people for 2013 which includes an 2% increase for North America. A quarter of the U.S. population has taken a cruise in their life. Out of that population, half of them have taken multiple cruises. (Cruise Industry Overview - 2013) Each ship that sails out is inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard to make sure they are accommodating any global and U.S. laws, guidelines and agreements. The cruise industry is the fastest-growing market in leisure traveling.
Cruise ships give off a ton of pollution each year. First, each cruise ship can carry more than 5,000 passengers and crew members which generates an abundance of waste. There is approximately 210,000 gallons of human sewage on a 7 day trip. Moreover, 1 million gallons of waste water from showers, sinks, laundries and kitchens are produced