8th April 2024
Climate Liberation Aotearoa and supporters will be at The Bridge of Remembrance on Monday the 8th of April at 8.30am to greet passengers from the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. Concerned locals and supporters will also be installing a very large banner on Camp Bay Road to greet the cruise ship. Locals will be able to view the banner from Evans Pass Lookout, off Sumner Road.
Climate Liberation Aotearoa (CLA) is calling on local and central government to include international shipping and aviation emissions in targets and emissions reduction plans (ERP), ban cruise ships from sensitive ecosystems, and to stop subsidies to the cruise ship industry.
“We are targeting the cruise ship industry because these are luxury emissions. Cruising is not a vital mode of transport; people are not using cruise ships to visit whānau or for work purposes or in emergencies. Taking a cruise ship is a really destructive way to have a holiday.” said Mads Churchhouse CLA spokesperson.
“The cruise ship industry is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and harmful particulate matter. Climate change is perhaps the greatest challenge humanity faces. Everyone will be affected and we know that it is those who have contributed the least to climate change that will suffer the worst consequences.”
Ovation of the Seas belongs to the Royal Carribean international fleet of cruise ships. In 2022 Friends of the Earth scored Royal Carribean an overall grade of F when accounting for sewage treatment, water quality compliance, air pollution reduction, and transparency. This was among the lowest ranking cruise ship companies.
Christchurch City Council (CCC) is already including the emissions from cruise ships in local emissions targets. CCC may be the only council in Aotearoa to be accounting for these emissions.
“This is a good start but CLA calls on CCC to take bold action in including them in the ERP. We need to act locally, mobilise and do what we can to inform our communities that there are things we can do to help ensure a safe future for many generations to come. One cruise ship emits as much small particulate matter as 1 million cars. That’s unjustifiable in a climate and ecological crisis” said Churchhouse.