Ships Switch to Low-Sulfur Fuel: Pollutants Plummet 90%

One giant container ship can emit almost the same amount of cancer and asthma-causing chemicals as 50 million cars.
Currently the amount of container ships in the world is approaching 90,000. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently conducted a study to examine the effects of a 2009 California law that requires ships to switch to low-sulfur fuel and slow down when approaching the coast. The results were remarkable. Using sophisticated equipment to “sniff” the emissions of a ship while flying overhead, the NOAA discovered an astonishing 90% reduction in some air pollutants. Sulfur dioxide in particular — the pollutant associated with acid rain — plummeted, dropping 91% with the switchover. Even black carbon, the particulate that warms and degrades the atmosphere, dropped an unexpected 41%.