Climate activists on Svalbard were not happy when one of the world’s largest yachts, owned by one of the world’s richest men, was seen sailing around the Arctic archipelago this week. They carried banners claiming that “Svalbard can’t afford the super-rich,” and branded the yacht’s presence as inappropriate.
“Its entire voyage from the Azores to Northern Norway and Svalbard (which is under Norwegian jurisdiction) is more than 4,000 kilometres, and back,” Franziska Hasenburg, a member of Arctic Climate Action Svalbard, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). She claimed such a voyage generates carbon emissions equivalent to those of 1,400 Norwegians per year.
Hasenburg was among arrangers of the demonstration in Svalbard’s capital of Longyearbyen on Wednesday against the 119-meter-long luxury yacht Launchpad that belongs to tech tycoon and Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg. NRK reported that it was accompanied by an even larger supply vessel. “We don’t know if Zuckerberg is on board, but the emissions are the same, regardless,” Hasenburg said.
Temperatures continue to keep rising on and around Svalbard, which has been showing the effects of climate change for years. Both its coal industry, which is being phased out, and tourism are believed to be contributing to Svalbard’s melting ice and the threats to its polar bears. The yacht had been due to berth in Longyearbyen but didn’t.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
