We all know that most of the goods we sell and buy will travel by ship at some point.  Unfortunately it is pretty clear that shipping across the ocean is one of the most detrimental ways we can move our products.  Here are some fast facts about Ocean Shipping from Earth Justice:

Emissions and Bunker Fuel

• Ships generate 15 to 30 percent of the world’s smog-forming emissions.
• Bunker fuel burned by ships is 1,000 times dirtier than highway diesel used by trucks and buses.
• A single ship coming into harbor produces the smog-forming emissions of 350,000 new cars.
• Ship engines are far dirtier than on-road engines due to lack of  regulation.
• The International Maritime Organization has lagged far behind in revising outdated regulations for ship emissions.

And this doesn’t even mention the trash, grey water and sewage that are being dumped over board.  If you are shipping goods across the ocean, consider Green Shipping’s freight services and help to offset your part of this industry’s emissions.

The figures from the oil giant BP, which owns 50 tankers, and researchers at the Institute for Physics and Atmosphere in Wessling, Germany reveal that annual emissions from shipping range between 600 and 800m tonnes of carbon dioxide, or up to 5% of the global total. This is nearly double Britain’s total emissions and more than all African countries combined.

The Guardian, UK