Cruises are officially restarting
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
In case you’ve been living under a rock or, more likely, focused on the apocalyptic wildfires and record heat striking our country right now, I’ve got an update that you need to know: July 19, 2021 marked the first day of cruises scheduled to set sail from Seattle to southeast Alaska in a “post-pandemic” world.
Luckily, Transport Canada responded to this with thoughtful consideration about the environmental impacts of cruises restarting — not. Instead, Transport Canada announced that the Canadian coast will re-open to cruises on November 1, 2021. [1]
Meaning, Canada is just months away from re-opening our shores for cruises to dump poop straight into the Great Bear Sea.
STOP DUMPINGWastewater dumping poses a huge threat to our oceans, accelerating its acidification, contributing to toxic algae and dead zones, and weakening one of our best tools to combat the climate emergency.
And yet, the standard for “treated” poop wastewater that Transport Canada has is 18 times more polluted than what Alaska allows. Canada needs to raise the bar to match Alaska to establish consistency about what is raw and what is treated and incorporate no-discharge zones around sensitive areas like marine protected areas, known critical habitat, and fishing grounds and shellfish beds.
Canada needs to, at minimum, match our neighbors. I think you’ll agree that this is environmental policy 101.
It’s clear the Canadian government needs to take swift action to enact measures that will protect our coast from cruises’ dumping raw sewage, gross greywater, and toxic smokestack waste into our oceans.
That’s why it’s critical in this run-up to the election that we continue to build momentum on our call to protect the oceans from cruise ship pollution.
Stand.earth is a community of over half a million climate activists, so I know we have the people-power needed to elevate the issue of cruise ship dumping as a priority in the upcoming election.
For the oceans,
Anna Barford
Canadian Shipping Campaigner
Stand.earth
Stand.earth challenges corporations, industries, and governments to prioritize the well-being of people, our environment, and our climate by creating long-term, effective solutions. None of this work is possible without your support. DONATE $5 San Francisco office: 548 Market Street, Suite 74196, San Francisco, CA 94104-5401 On traditional Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone Lands
Bellingham office: 1329 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225 On traditional Lummi and Nooksack Lands
Vancouver office: 5307 Victoria Drive, Suite 347, Vancouver, BC V5P 3V6 On Unceded Territories of the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ, xʷməθkwəy̓əm, and Skwxwú7mesh Nations \
