6.2.2 Environmental impacts of global flows

News article

Ferries emit ‘more sulphur pollution than cars’ in several EU capitals

Dublin, Helsinki, Stockholm and Tallinn among port cities more choked by sulphur oxides from ferries, analysis shows

The Guardian · 2 March 2026

Key terms

• Goods
  • Merchandise or other physical items for common or daily use, usually bought by individuals or households for private consumption, and can include materials and manufactured goods.

• Hub port
  • A port at mainly which concentration and distribution operations are carried out on cargo the origin and/or destination of which is outside the hinterland of the port. A Hub port concentrates its resources essentially on ship-to-ship transshipments; local cargo plays only a minor role. Hub ports are ports that are strategically located along the major shipping routes where these transshipment operations take place.

• Localised pollution
  • Air or water pollution that is concentrated near its source, which may be a point, like a factory or mine, or linear, like roads and shipping lanes, and where the pollution does not disperse widely, maintaining a high concentration near its origin.

• Particulate matter
  • The term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope.

• Shipping lanes
  • The routes taken by ships, often concentrated in narrow zones, that are used to transport goods, and which can be associated with localised pollution.