Christine Hall

Despite difficult economic conditions in recent years, the cruise industry has continued to grow strongly. Questions remain, however, as to the environmental impact of a cruise holiday. The noxious nature of the fuel employed, the sheer quantity required, and the effects of various discharges from vessels at sea are among the issues that impact upon the ‘green’ performance of the industry.
Although the media have been quick to criticise various aspects of the industry in recent years, little research has been done to quantify the actual level of environmental harm caused by the industry. In this paper the authors describe the application of Life Cycle Assessment to produce a model of contributions to climate change that is compared with the impact of a holiday spent ashore.