Urge the Canadian Government to Ban ALL Dumping in Protected Ocean Areas!
Nearly three years ago, the federal government adopted new "minimum standards" to prohibit dumping in marine protected areas (MPAs). But belugas, killer whales, seabirds, and other at-risk species are still threatened by harmful waste dumped by ships.
Canada shouldn't call an area protected if any dumping is allowed.
WWF-Canada's National Vessel Dumping Assessment found that ships generate a staggering 147 billion litres of operational waste in Canadian waters each year. That's equivalent to 59,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Scrubber washwater accounts for 97 percent of waste generated. Most scrubber-equipped ships use open-loop systems that release it right back into the sea. By analyzing the time ships spent in MPAs and other protected ocean areas, the assessment found up to 14.5 billion litres of this dangerous waste are dumped in protected areas, which worsen ocean acidification and hurt marine life.
Without a regulatory framework to ensure that other harmful waste streams can be held for safer disposal, there's no way to confirm how much waste is actually being held and dumped in MPAs.
Now is your chance to demand better and ensure Canada's MPAs are protected in more than name only. The federal government is currently defining what counts as "dumping" and how this standard will be enforced. It's critical they get this right, or we risk having MPA protections that are too weak to effectively safeguard wildlife.
Send a strong message to the government that "no dumping" must mean no to all dumping.Image credit: © sbedaux / iStock
I am writing today to hold you to this promise. Despite adopting "minimum standards" for new MPAs nearly three years ago, your government still hasn't said what types of waste discharges will be included in this dumping ban, or created a plan for how it will be implemented and enforced. For our MPAs to function as designed, "no dumping" needs to mean something.
A new report from WWF-Canada makes it abundantly clear why a comprehensive definition of dumping is needed now. Their National Vessel Dumping Assessment found that ships generate a staggering 147 billion litres of scrubber washwater, greywater, sewage and bilge water in Canadian waters annually. Nearly 10 per cent of this harmful and toxic waste is dumped in protected areas that are intended to protect sensitive ecosystems and provide refuge for species at risk of extinction. And without proper enforcement, even more waste could be making its way into MPAs.
What's more, these routine operational discharges can infiltrate the marine food web, posing a risk to coastal communities and seafood consumers.
We shouldn't call an MPA "protected" if the dumping of such pollutants, in any quantity, is allowed.
As the government prepares to define the minimum standards governing our MPAs, I'm calling on you to develop and incorporate into law a comprehensive definition of "dumping" that prohibits ALL harmful discharges and waste from ships in MPAs, including:
• Scrubber effluent (from exhaust gas cleaning systems)
• Greywater (treated and untreated)
• Solid waste (including plastics)
• Sewage (treated and untreated)
• Ballast water
• Bilge water
As Canada works towards its commitment to protect 25 per cent of our oceans by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030, it's more important than ever that the standards we create are strong enough to deliver their promised protections.
I am counting on you to ensure our MPAs are protected from the threat of dumping in more than name only.
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