PAN, Portugal’s People-Animals-Nature party has recommended today that the government adopt measures to limit pollution caused by cruise tourism and ensure greater transparency regarding its environmental impact. The initiative, signed by Inês Sousa Real, the spokesperson and sole PAN MP, warned that according to a study by the European Federation for Transport and the Environment, published in June last year, “Portugal ranks 6th in absolute terms among European countries with the highest levels of sulphur oxide pollution emitted by cruise ships (emitting around 20 times more than cars in the country)”. Lisbon is the European port with the most cruise ship traffic, and together with the port of Funchal it is “in the top 10 list of the most polluting European ports”. This is a detail we rarely hear as ports everywhere tend to welcome the idea of cruise tourism, for the money it brings in.
Government asked to limit cruise ship pollution
