How 1. 6 ships create as much pollution as all the cars in the world. By. Fred Pearce. Updated. BST, 2. 1 November 2. Eco expert Fred Pearce is an environmental consultant to New Scientist magazine. Last week it was revealed that 5. Britain, refusing to unload their fuel until prices have risen. But that is not the only scandal in the shipping world. Today award winning science writer Fred Pearce environmental consultant to New Scientist and author of Confessions Of An Eco Sinner reveals that the super ships that keep the West in everything from Christmas gifts to computers pump out killer chemicals linked to thousands of deaths because of the filthy fuel they use. Weve all noticed it. The filthy black smoke kicked out by funnels on cross Channel ferries, cruise liners, container ships, oil tankers and even tugboats. It looks foul, and leaves a brown haze across ports and shipping lanes. But what hasnt been clear until now is that it is also a major killer, probably causing thousands of deaths in Britain alone. As ships get bigger, the pollution is getting worse. The most staggering statistic of all is that just 1. Because of their colossal engines, each as heavy as a small ship, these super vessels use as much fuel as small power stations. Historical clips on DDT, Rachel Carson and science explaining why humans pollute. Video put together for the MSc in Environmental Technology. I/61%2BaUczHqXL._SX522_.jpg' alt='Free Let`S Pollute Online' title='Free Let`S Pollute Online' />But, unlike power stations or cars, they can burn the cheapest, filthiest, high sulphur fuel the thick residues left behind in refineries after the lighter liquids have been taken. The stuff nobody on land is allowed to use. Thanks to decisions taken in London by the body that polices world shipping, this pollution could kill as many as a million more people in the coming decade even though a simple change in the rules could stop it. There are now an estimated 1. Asian industrial powerhouses to consumers in Europe and North America. The recession has barely dented the trade. This Christmas, most of our presents will have come by super ship from the Far East ships such as the Emma Maersk and her seven sisters Evelyn, Eugen, Estelle, Ebba, Eleonora, Elly and Edith Maersk. Each is a quarter of a mile long and can carry up to 1. China to Europe.  Waiting game Tankers moored off Devon waiting for oil prices to rise even further. Emma dubbed SS Santa by the media brought Christmas presents to Europe in October and is now en route from Algeciras in Spain to Yantian in southern China, carrying containers full of our waste paper, plastic and electronics for recycling. But it burns marine heavy fuel, or bunker fuel, which leaves behind a trail of potentially lethal chemicals sulphur and smoke that have been linked to breathing problems, inflammation, cancer and heart disease. This western county includes Somerset Bridge, Somerset Village and Dockyard. The latest actions and updates from national Sierra Club. Last week it was revealed that 54 oil tankers are anchored off the coast of Britain, refusing to unload their fuel until prices have risen. But that is not the only. Answer the following questions to see which political parties and candidates you side with. The ultimate, retro ebike design. Price from 2. 398,99. Customer Reviews. Now diesel drivers face new pay as you pollute charges Plans could see motorists billed if they go near schools or take to the roads in rush hour. James Corbett, of the University of Delaware, is an authority on ship emissions. He calculates a worldwide death toll of about 6. Europe. Britain is one of the worst hit countries, with about 2,0. Corbett predicts the global figure will rise to 8. Part of the blame for this international scandal lies close to home. In London, on the south bank of the Thames looking across at the Houses of Parliament, is the International Maritime Organisation, the UN body that polices the worlds shipping. For decades, the IMO has rebuffed calls to clean up ship pollution. As a result, while it has long since been illegal to belch black, sulphur laden smoke from power station chimneys or lorry exhausts, shipping has kept its licence to pollute. Download Divx The Congress Cartoon. For 3. 1 years, the IMO has operated a policy agreed by the 1. Christian Eyde Moller, boss of the DK shipping company in Rotterdam, recently described this as just waste oil, basically what is left over after all the cleaner fuels have been extracted from crude oil. Its tar, the same as asphalt. Its the cheapest and dirtiest fuel in the world. BibMe Free Bibliography Citation Maker MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard. A car involved in a fatal hitandrun in Cheektowaga, New York escaped, leaving only blurry video, a small plastic part, and frustrated police. If theres any group. Health news with a focus on fitness news, wellness coverage and living a healthy Southern California life. Bunker fuel is also thick with sulphur. IMO rules allow ships to burn fuel containing up to 4. That is 4,5. 00 times more than is allowed in car fuel inthe European Union. The sulphur comes out of ship funnels as tiny particles, and it is these that get deep into lungs. Thanks to the IMOs rules, the largest ships can each emit as much as 5,0. With an estimated 8. A year ago, the IMO belatedly decided to clean up its act. It said shipping fuel should not contain more than 3. This lower figure could halve the deaths, says Corbett. It should not be hard to do. There is no reason ship engines cannot run on clean fuel, like cars. But, away from a handful of low sulphur zones, including the English Channel and North Sea, the IMO gave shipping lines a staggering 1. And, even then, it will depend on a final feasibility review in 2. In the meantime, according to Corbetts figures, nearly one million more people will die. Smoke and sulphur are not the only threats from ships funnels. Every year they are also belching out almost one billion tons of carbon dioxide. Ships are as big a contributor to global warming as aircraft but have had much less attention from environmentalists. Both international shipping and aviation are exempt from the Kyoto Protocol rules on cutting carbon emissions. But green pressure is having its effect on airlines. Ahead of next months Copenhagen climate talks, airlines have promised to cut emissions by 5. But shipping companies are keeping their heads down. A meeting of the IMO in July threw out proposals from the British Chamber of Shipping, among others, to set up a carbon trading scheme to encourage emissions reductions. Amazingly, they pleaded poverty. Two thirds of the worlds ships are registered in developing countries such as Panama. These are just flags of convenience, to evade tougher rules on safety and pay for sailors. But at the IMO, governments successfully argued that ships from developing countries should not have to cut carbon emissions. IMO secretary general Efthimios Mitropoulos insisted We are heavily and consistently engaged in the fight to protect and preserve our environment. Yet without limits, carbon emissions from shipping could triple by 2. The failure brought calls for the IMO to be stripped of its powers to control the worlds ships. Colin Whybrow, of Greenwave, a British charity set up to campaign for cleaner shipping, says The IMO is drinking in the last chance saloon. Burning low sulphur fuel wont cut carbon emissions from ships. But there are other ways. More efficient engines could reduce emissions by 3. British marine consultant Robin Meech. Cutting speed could reduce emissions by as much again. And there are even wackier ways, such as putting up giant kites to harness the wind as in the days of sailing ships. However you look at it, the super ships are rogues on the high seas, operating under pollution standards long since banished on land warming the planet and killing its inhabitants. Santas sleigh, they are not. Robert Pedersen, of Maersk, said The sulphur content varies according to where you get your fuel. Our average sulphur content is, I believe, 2. Its rather rare you get anything close to 4. He added that the sulphur issue is one for the whole industry and that there would be a huge cost implication to switch to cleaner fuel.