Sulfur Community

There’s an estimated 800 million cars on this earth and only 16 superships can emit as much sulfur. That’s according to Fred Pearce and environmental consultant to New Scientist and author of Confessions of an Eco Sinner.

Super-vessels use as much power as small power stations because they have massive engines that are as big as a small ship. The bunker fuel they burn is usually the cheapest, filthiest, high sulfur fuel left behind at the refinery. Fortunately laws prohibit the use of that fuel on land.

The International Maritime Organization rules allow the largest ships to emit as much as 5,000 tons of sulfur in a year – the same as 50 million typical cars, each emitting an average of 100 grams of sulfur a year.

So the next time I’m eating pineapple from Thailand, I may be thinking of how much sulfur was put in the air to get them here. Or when I reach for grapes from Chile in the winter, I might just decide to wait until they are in season locally.

-Paul Orlowski