Carnival commits to reducing its carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2030

Miami - May 4, 2018: Passengers on a Carnival Victory cruise ship stand out on the deck under billowing smoke stacks, where air pollution has been found to be dangerously high.

Carnival Corporation has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, after surpassing its original goal of 25 per cent three years early.

According to the cruise company’s annual sustainability report for 2019, it achieved a 29.1 per cent reduction on CO2e intensity, relative to a 2005 baseline. The original goal was to reduce emissions by 25 per cent by 2020, but the company managed to reach this goal in 2017.

Now, Carnival is aiming to reduce reductions by 40 per cent based on a 2008 baseline.

The new target aligns with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) requirements in alignment with the Paris Agreement and in support of the United Nations Agenda 2030.

According to the report, Carnival achieved the remaining targets within its 2020 sustainability goals and established a new set of goals as part of its initial pathway to 2030.

“The annual sustainability report is critical to providing our stakeholders with a transparent view of our progress against key metrics and demonstrating our commitment to protecting the environment, supporting communities and being compliant everywhere we operate in the world,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer at Carnival.

“As we look toward the future, we will continue to innovate and invest in sustainable initiatives to support compliance and sustainable tourism.”

Carnival Corporation first shared its 2020 sustainability goals in 2015, identifying 10 key objectives, including reducing its carbon footprint, improving the fleet’s air emissions, reducing waste generation, improving water use efficiency, and supporting guests, crew members and local communities.

The most recent report outlined the companies use of liquified nitrogen gas (LNG) with Costa Smeralda and AIDAnova debuting as the first cruise vessels in the world powered by LNG.

The line also continued to retrofit its global fleet with Advanced Air Quality Systems, which remove nearly all sulphur from ships’ engine exhaust, reducing particulates and nitrogen oxides, with over 77 per cent of the company’s fleet equipped.

In 2017 European think tank Transport and the Environment released a damning report which claimed Carnival Corporation produces 10 times more disease-causing sulphur oxide in European seas than all of Europe’s 260 million passenger vehicles.

The company has also paid millions of dollars in fines for violating environmental regulations including for air emissions, discharges to the sea, pollution prevention equipment maintenance and operation and recordkeeping.

You can read Carnival’s latest sustainability report in full here.


Featured image source: iStock.com/PeskyMonkey

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