It is shocking to think that emissions from just 15 of the world’s largest container ships match the emissions from every car in the world combined.

Most of this pollution occurs out at sea – out of sight and the minds of consumers. Like aviation, shipping is not covered by the Paris Agreement on climate change, which aims to limit the global temperature rise to below two degrees centigrade this century by reducing emissions.

However, it is not necessarily the fault of shipping lines and airlines and we shouldn’t look to apportion blame to one particular industry or sector. The demand of the world’s consumer economy for products to be delivered faster and cheaper, direct to their door has created a system that contributes to environmental issues, and solving these issues is one of the world’s greatest challenges.

Making changes

Whilst it may seem a daunting task, being mindful of the need to protect the ecosystem and the lives of future generations, we at Bermuda Forwarders (UK) take our corporate and social responsibility seriously and we will integrate best practice into our business, which is built around shipping, air freight and logistics.

We are continuing to look at ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint across our customers’ supply chains and we will be engaging with them to provide the most practical solution.

As individuals, there are many ways that we can aim to live more sustainably, with a raft of guidance available on how we can try to tackle the issue of global warming. If everyone in the UK and Bermuda made even one small change, the total sum of our efforts could make a significant difference to the environment.

For example, you could take shorter showers; try a meat-free day; consider using more recycled products; ditch incandescent bulbs; avoid single-use plastic and try to use less electricity wherever possible. The list of small changes that we can try to make is endless.

The current picture

Troubling images of sea life struggling in oceans having eaten plastic bags and bottle tops are filling our TV screens. The environmental damage caused by waste plastic and litter, in general, is devastating.

Recently a first-of-its-kind £2.1 million grant has been issued to protect the Sargasso Sea through an international project.

The Global Environment Facility has awarded the funding to the Sargasso Sea Commission, which will also be backed by £18 million in finance from various partners, in order to create a ‘high seas ecosystem’.

The Sargasso Sea Commission was established seven years ago following the signing of the Hamilton Declaration in Bermuda, pledging to preserve the Sargasso Sea as a conservation area due to its unique collection of biodiversity.

The situation in Bermuda

Anne Hyde, who recently stepped down as executive director of Keep Bermuda Beautiful, said Bermuda must balance on-island environmental problems with the global impact of these issues: “While much of the ocean debris has come from other countries far away, it would be naive of us to think that the problem is some other country’s fault and that Bermuda is blameless.

“It is very likely that our bad littering habits are swirling their way by wind and current towards the Azores or Africa, so KBB’s goals have definitely shifted to think globally and act locally.

“We tend to expect Government to solve problems for us, but it is actually our individual actions that are important and those decisions that we make every day that can have a positive or negative impact on nature.”

The future

We must all take our corporate and individual responsibility seriously and, step by step, together we can make a difference. Who was it who said, “…one small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind?” (Neil Armstrong, July 20, 1969).

At Bermuda Forwarders (UK), our core values are built on honesty, responsiveness, adaptability and putting the customer first, which informs every element of our business. Find out more about our core values here.