THE CRUISE SHIP INDUSTRY IS DESTROYING EARTH’S OCEANS
Contrary to what many people think, the earth’s oceans are not infinite. The oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and contains 97 percent of the Earth’s water.
Less than 1 percent of the Earth’s water is freshwater, and 2–3 percent is contained in glaciers and the North and South Pole ice caps. The oceans also contain 99 percent of the living space on the planet.
Think about that for a minute, then ponder on the following.
Oceans are by far the largest carbon sink on the planet, storing some 30 percent of carbon dioxide and 93 percent of all greenhouse gases. Because of increased human activity, the oceans are struggling to keep up. In discussion and studies about ocean issues, the effect of greenhouse gases hasn’t received nearly as much attention as ocean plastic pollution, largely because the problem is not visible. Oxygen is as essential to ocean life as it is to life on land. And while it can vary at different depths and different oceans, rising sea temperatures have caused deep ocean areas already low in oxygen, to deoxygenate further, changing habitats for underwater life.
