How to Live with the Environmental Impact of Cruise Ships

seafaring

7 Sept

Looking at the news can feel like watching the world unravel in real time. Wildfires, heatwaves, flash floods. It’s impossible not to notice how fragile everything feels.

If you already care about the planet, that awareness can easily tip into despair. And if, like me, you work in or around an industry like cruising, with its obvious environmental impact, those feelings become even more personal.

But paralysis isn’t a solution. Neither is guilt without action. What helps, at least for me, is learning to live with the tension, finding ways to keep my values intact, and remembering that change doesn’t happen because one person gets everything “right”. It happens in layers – individual choices, collective pressure, and systemic shifts.

It’s possible to care about the planet and still acknowledge the contradictions

Cruise ships burn fuel, release emissions, and leave behind waste; the environmental cost is real. Beyond carbon emissions, ships contribute to air pollution, sewage discharge, food waste, and the constant use of single-use plastics onboard.

At the same time, these jobs are a lifeline for many people. They provide stable income, allow families to be supported, and open up opportunities that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

Both sides are true. Recognising that doesn’t mean you’ve given up on your values. It simply means being realistic about the world we live in.

Most of us can’t stand completely outside of imperfect systems. What matters is how you navigate them, and the choices you make within them.

Small actions aren’t everything, but they still count

One person can’t transform an entire industry, but that doesn’t mean individuals are powerless. The way you live onboard and on shore can reduce your impact, even if only slightly.

A few practical actions for crew and travellers:

Carry a refillable water bottle. Single-use plastic bottles are one of the biggest sources of waste onboard. Refill whenever possible, even if it means using the crew mess dispensers.
Bring a travel mug. If you’re a coffee or tea drinker, this helps you avoid disposable cups and lids.
Reuse what you already have. Containers, bags, and even glass jars from store-bought food can be repurposed instead of thrown away.
Pack lighter to reduce the fuel needed for transport and transfers.
Buy in bulk when you can. Shore leave is a chance to pick up larger packs of snacks or groceries and store them in tupperware instead of buying multiple mini-packs. Less packaging, less waste.
Share and swap with other crew. Trading snacks, toiletries, or clothing onboard reduces overbuying and cuts down on packaging waste.
Be mindful with laundry. Washing full loads in cold water conserves both energy and resources.
Choose eSIMs over disposable SIM cards, which often come with excess packaging.

These actions won’t erase the environmental impact of cruise ships, but they address the parts of cruise life you can influence. When others see you practicing small habits consistently, it can encourage them to do the same. What feels like a personal decision often creates ripple effects you don’t even notice.

The biggest shifts have to come from companies and governments

Personal lifestyle choices alone won’t fix an industry’s environmental impact. Issues like fuel consumption, air pollution, sewage discharge, and waste management require change at the industry and government level.

Cruise lines can invest in cleaner fuels, upgrade wastewater treatment, reduce single-use plastics onboard, and design itineraries that don’t overwhelm fragile destinations. Governments can enforce stricter regulations and support cleaner technologies.

As crew or travellers, we can’t control all of that directly. But we can add pressure by supporting policies that push the industry towards accountability, by asking questions about company practices, and by choosing operators who show real progress.

Doing something is always better than doing nothing

The environmental impact of cruise ships is real, and no single person can solve it. But that doesn’t mean our actions don’t matter. Small habits of sustainability are part of living in line with our values. Meanwhile, real change depends on collective pressure and systemic shifts within the industry.

Even in the middle of contradiction, it’s possible to hold onto your values. You don’t have to be perfect; you just have to keep choosing what you can do, where you are. Change happens layer by layer, and every step helps push things in the right direction.