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Water regulates our climate, absorbing more than 90% of global warming and 25% of the carbon dioxide we emit, but at an alarming rate, water health is deteriorating.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is now available, a new renewable diesel that has major environmental benefits while being better for engines. By using HVO100, you as a recreational boat owner contribute to long-term sustainable boating.
Poor water quality leads to reduced biodiversity, dying ecosystems, poorer public health and reduced livelihoods. Reversing this trend requires a better understanding that water is one of the most important issues of our time.
Did you know that for every liter you fill up, up to 3 deciliters of unburned gasoline is added to the water! This has devastating consequences for wildlife in our waterways. The sale of new two-stroke engines with carburetors has been banned since 2007, but there are still over 150,000 such engines on our boats.
This means that one in four boat engines is a two-stroke carburetor engine. These old engines are particularly harmful to marine and terrestrial life.
With over 150,000 carbureted two-stroke engines still in use, it is estimated that around 2,000 tons of gasoline are discharged directly into our oceans and lakes every year. The figures come from POINT.
Gasoline is toxic and contains PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) which are harmful to living organisms. It can lead to impaired reproduction and growth, genetic damage, cancer and reduced resistance to other environmental impacts.
The combustion of petrol in two-stroke engines with carburetors also produces other environmentally harmful substances, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and soot particles.
In addition, oil is mixed with gasoline to lubricate these engines, which further increases the amount of hazardous substances in the emissions. To muffle the sound of the engine, the hazardous substances go out through the propeller. This makes them even more easily absorbed by aquatic life.
The fact that recreational boats often operate in shallow waters during the period when most fish species reproduce does not help. The levels of toxins left behind by an old two-stroke boat are high enough to kill fish eggs and malform fry.
So YES – it matters!
As recreational boaters, we can reduce the environmental impact so that future generations can experience pristine archipelago bays with clear water and a teeming plant and animal life. For example, by not using old two-stroke engines with carburetors.
Water plays a critical role in climate change, absorbing a large share of the emissions we create. Stop Fueling the Ocean is focused on driving a transition to fossil-free alternatives in our marine environments – but we need your help. By sharing information and working together, we can spread the word and reduce emissions together.
Behind the initiative Stop Refueling the Sea is the County Administrative Board of Stockholm in collaboration with the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, the Swedish Transport Agency, Båtretur(Båtskroten, Stena Recycling and Sweboat), One Water, SIKO, the Archipelago Foundation, the Swedish Cruise Club and the Swedish Boat Union.