environment
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Brandyn Brooks
Principles of Natural Resource Management
April 21, 2003
Millions of people take cruise vacations every year to relax, have fun, or to just getaway. All of those people know that the ocean and it's surrounding beauty has a lot to offer, but what they may not know it the pollution that follows behind these ships is enormous. Cruise ship pollution has devastating effects on our most pristine ecosystems including the ocean and marine environments. This Environmental Law review will explore the cruise ship industry, it's relationship to Florida, and the types of pollution that cruise ships generate. In addition to these factors, this essay will also include ways that we, as consumers, can help protect the marine environment we have grown to love, and what laws have been passed to eliminate this growing problem.
Currently, there are two hundred and twenty cruise ships sailing the oceans, which carry approximately ten million passengers a year. Among the ports of call, Florida ranks first among the states hosting cruise ships in their ports. Miami, Port Canaveral, and Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), are the first, second, and third largest in the United States. These three ports of Florida represent 44 percent of the world cruise market, and the 4 million passengers that board cruise ships at these three ports provide considerable travel benefits to the state. Besides the benefits that the state of Florida receives, these ships and their passengers generate over 90,000 tons of garbage along with many other types of waste and pollution...