WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.839 Are you ready okay oh no this one's really old. 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:08.400 It's highlighted at the top that it's more than 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:11.759 three years old what is it you know what. This 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:14.080 is Chelsea in a fringing media. I'm just mini. 00:00:14.220 --> 00:00:16.100 I'm just going to read it. It's from the Guardian 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:20.059 dot com. U .S. cruise ships using Canada as a 00:00:20.059 --> 00:00:22.879 toilet bowl for polluted waste. I'm sure it's 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:25.620 still relevant from the comfort of cruise ships. 00:00:25.739 --> 00:00:29.179 A typical trip to Alaska offers magnificent views 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:32.820 of glaciers and untamed national parks and visits 00:00:32.820 --> 00:00:36.640 to quaint seaside towns for years. These draws 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:39.899 have made cruises to Alaska the most booked U 00:00:39.899 --> 00:00:43.270 .S. holiday. the journey to those pristine areas 00:00:43.270 --> 00:00:46.130 which involves sailing along Canada's west coast 00:00:46.130 --> 00:00:49.289 for two or three days is leaving behind a trail 00:00:49.289 --> 00:00:52.929 of toxic waste including within marine protected 00:00:52.929 --> 00:00:57.320 areas which is MPAs, according to new research. 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:02.420 More than 31 billion liters, 8 .5 billion U .S. 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:04.680 gallons. I didn't need to read that. A year of 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:08.099 pollution is estimated to be discharged off the 00:01:08.099 --> 00:01:10.700 west coast of Canada by cruise ships on their 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:13.560 way to and from Alaska, according to a report 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:16.900 by the environmental organization stand dot earth 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:21.159 and west coast environmental law WCEL. There's 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:24.340 this perverse incentive to treat Canada like 00:01:24.340 --> 00:01:27.599 a toilet bowl," says Anna Barford, Canada's shipping 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:30.260 campaigner at Stand .Earth. They're just using 00:01:30.260 --> 00:01:32.780 us like a highway and tossing stuff left, right 00:01:32.780 --> 00:01:37.959 and center. Across Canada's 151 ,000 -mile, 240 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:42.560 ,000 -kilometer coastline, ships generate 147 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:46.620 billion liters of harmful waste each year, equivalent 00:01:46.620 --> 00:01:50.700 to 59 ,000 Olympic -sized swimming pools, according 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:55.280 to a March 2022 report. by WWF Canada. I'm surprised 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:57.280 our orcas haven't rebelled and started attacking 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:00.379 the rich boats off the coast. You know, we do 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:02.939 have families of orcas which are kind of cool 00:02:02.939 --> 00:02:04.659 that they travel like that. I'm surprised they 00:02:04.659 --> 00:02:07.579 don't just get all together and attack. It's 00:02:07.579 --> 00:02:11.340 only a matter of time before the rebellion spreads 00:02:11.340 --> 00:02:14.319 over to this part. I presume. The word will spread, 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:17.139 yes. They have big brains. It's only a matter 00:02:17.139 --> 00:02:19.680 of time. I mean, we can only hope. Assume. Hope 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:22.659 and assume. I think. Based on data from more 00:02:22.659 --> 00:02:25.639 than 5 ,000 vessels, the report found cruise 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:28.199 ships were the largest polluters despite making 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:31.960 up only 2 % of the marine traffic analyzed. We 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:35.159 did do an episode on how horrible cruise ships 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:40.849 are for the environment. Way back. Yeah, good 00:02:40.849 --> 00:02:43.949 episode. I'm pretty sure it was too. Good episode. 00:02:44.569 --> 00:02:47.289 So this is a great episode to follow up on, kind 00:02:47.289 --> 00:02:49.490 of, even though this is from three years ago. 00:02:49.909 --> 00:02:52.210 Cruise ship pollution includes large volumes 00:02:52.210 --> 00:02:55.310 of toxic sewage from toilets, grey water from 00:02:55.310 --> 00:02:57.849 sinks, showers and laundries, and bilge water, 00:02:58.009 --> 00:03:00.370 the only liquid that collects at the lowest part 00:03:00.370 --> 00:03:03.659 of the ship. That... is disgusting what liquid 00:03:03.659 --> 00:03:06.580 is collecting there by far the largest source 00:03:06.580 --> 00:03:09.979 of pollution identified in the wwf report was 00:03:09.979 --> 00:03:13.060 from so -called scrubbers devices installed to 00:03:13.060 --> 00:03:16.099 remove exhaust gases such as sulfur oxide and 00:03:16.099 --> 00:03:19.319 nitrogen oxide as well as particulates from the 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:22.300 heavy bunker oil used as marine fuel so it's 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:24.599 just taking all the worst parts of the oil and 00:03:24.599 --> 00:03:27.560 putting it in the ocean gotcha yeah The scrubbers 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:30.659 create an acidic wastewater containing a cocktail 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:34.800 of chemicals. On a one -week trip to Alaska and 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:37.659 back the Canadian coast, a cruise ship will generate 00:03:37.659 --> 00:03:41.500 nearly 200 liters of waste from scrubbers, according 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:45.020 to Stand .Earth and WCEL report. While ships 00:03:45.020 --> 00:03:47.840 can decide whether to discharge at sea or within 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:50.960 a port, most waste from scrubbers is dumped as 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:54.099 it's generated. Why give cruise ships the choice 00:03:54.099 --> 00:03:56.860 to just dump it wherever they want? Like, why 00:03:56.860 --> 00:03:59.960 is this not done more, like, ethically? You know 00:03:59.960 --> 00:04:02.719 what, on a little sub thing here, I mean, it's 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:04.639 a mini, I just have to say it, though. I'm actually 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:07.479 listening to a really interesting podcast by 00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:12.199 CBC, and it is all about how lawless the ocean 00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:14.879 is, and it's just all these really horrible stories 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:17.740 about what goes on. It is not lawless, it is 00:04:17.740 --> 00:04:20.939 sheriffed by the orcas. And they're finally getting 00:04:20.939 --> 00:04:24.959 back into patrols. I love that. Just FYI, if 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:28.019 you're interested, Outlaw Ocean by CBC. And there's 00:04:28.019 --> 00:04:31.600 a bunch of stories and it's pretty crazy so far. 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:35.139 It's not like a fun lesson, but it's interesting 00:04:35.139 --> 00:04:37.639 nonetheless. Globally, cruise ships have a patchy 00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:40.100 record of maintaining environmental regulations, 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:42.699 including within Alaska. But the Pacific waters 00:04:42.699 --> 00:04:45.540 off of the coast of British Columbia are particularly 00:04:45.540 --> 00:04:48.160 polluted. This is due to many cruise ships, but 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:51.079 also because Canada's federal dumping regulations 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:54.600 are less stringent than the U .S. laws, according 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:57.959 to Michael. Yeah, that's very sad. And of course, 00:04:57.959 --> 00:05:00.060 they're going to find out that that's the case, 00:05:00.100 --> 00:05:02.040 obviously, of their cruise ships and dump it 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:04.800 where they can. Michael Bissonnette said a lawyer 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:08.139 from WCEL, particularly compared with regulations 00:05:08.139 --> 00:05:10.699 in Washington and Alaska, the two U .S. states 00:05:10.699 --> 00:05:14.079 to each end of Canada's west coast. In Washington, 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:17.560 more than 60 ,000 square kilometers of ocean 00:05:17.560 --> 00:05:20.139 habitat is protected in the Strait of Juan de 00:05:20.139 --> 00:05:22.740 Fuca and Puget Sound, near the Canadian border, 00:05:22.939 --> 00:05:26.019 and now classified as a no -discharge zone. That's 00:05:26.019 --> 00:05:28.420 literally the sea. It is right beside where they're 00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:30.579 dumping. It's the Salish Sea, essentially. That 00:05:30.579 --> 00:05:32.939 is what Vancouver's on. So it's essentially the 00:05:32.939 --> 00:05:35.660 same body of water. Alaska requires cruise ships 00:05:35.660 --> 00:05:38.160 to apply for and receive permission to discharge 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:40.800 sewage and gray water. These regulations encourage 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:43.139 ships to hold onto their waste when they're in 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:45.040 American waters and then dump it when they're 00:05:45.040 --> 00:05:48.740 in Canadian. This is infuriating. shitty. Wow. 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:52.300 The Canadian water's untreated sewage from cruise 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:55.339 ships can legally be dumped outside a 12 nautical 00:05:55.339 --> 00:05:58.199 mile limit under vessel pollution regulations 00:05:58.199 --> 00:06:01.399 and can often overlap into critical habitats. 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:04.100 Meanwhile, treated sewage, which includes the 00:06:04.100 --> 00:06:06.180 waste from toilets and grey water from sinks 00:06:06.180 --> 00:06:09.139 and laundries, can be discharged three nautical 00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:14.220 miles from shore. Wow. It does go on and on and 00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:18.379 on. I am infuriated enough. Across an imaginary 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:21.069 dodge line just opening those valves and getting 00:06:21.069 --> 00:06:23.709 everything out pretty much yeah because they 00:06:23.709 --> 00:06:25.670 go right back into an area where they have to 00:06:25.670 --> 00:06:27.829 protect it yeah and they've been holding on for 00:06:27.829 --> 00:06:31.110 it for so long it's probably just building up 00:06:31.110 --> 00:06:36.639 so that's my disturbing fringy mini. It's been 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:39.439 a while since we've covered how horrible cruise 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:42.399 ships are for the environment. So I thought we 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:44.699 just needed a brief reminder. I just thought 00:06:44.699 --> 00:06:47.100 it was in general. But no, this is particularly 00:06:47.100 --> 00:06:49.980 they're entirely shitty to our coast. That is 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:52.980 right beside us. Yeah, I'm really feeling like 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:56.120 I should write a letter probably to some politician 00:06:56.120 --> 00:06:59.000 and vote this. Yeah. Probably. Yeah, I think 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:02.389 that's actually warranted. Yeah. But like what 00:07:02.389 --> 00:07:04.269 the hell is the industry going to do with their 00:07:04.269 --> 00:07:07.769 poop and their oil scrubbers? If we say no, not 00:07:07.769 --> 00:07:10.329 here. I'm genuinely curious because it seems 00:07:10.329 --> 00:07:12.649 like their only way to meet the standards in 00:07:12.649 --> 00:07:15.569 the US is to put everything in Canadian water. 00:07:15.569 --> 00:07:17.810 Yeah, like it's going to be a part of the cruise 00:07:17.810 --> 00:07:20.470 where they just go like 20 miles out and dump 00:07:20.470 --> 00:07:23.639 everything and then come back. It's still creating 00:07:23.639 --> 00:07:26.980 the pollution, no matter what our laws are. Yeah, 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:29.139 no. And that's just how bad cruise ships are 00:07:29.139 --> 00:07:32.040 for the earth, right? And it doesn't solve what 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:34.220 they do with it. It just, you know, they're just 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:36.360 going to go dump it somewhere else. And there's 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:40.459 a certain part of waters, as we've probably talked 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:42.819 about in the cruise ship episode, and on what 00:07:42.819 --> 00:07:45.160 I've been listening to, there's a certain point 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:48.100 where countries don't give a shit about ocean 00:07:48.100 --> 00:07:50.459 that's not near their country. They don't care 00:07:50.459 --> 00:07:53.240 what's going out there. You guys got 48 hours, 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:55.759 maybe you go 200 nautical miles and just see 00:07:55.759 --> 00:08:00.620 how lawless that place is. You can get the bootleg 00:08:00.620 --> 00:08:02.939 version of Journey to the Fringe out there.