Icon of the Seas: Controversy Surrounding the Gigantic Cruise Liner’s Carbon Footprint and Ecological Impact

2023-07-12 14:01:30

The figures for the “Icon of the Seas” liner are enough to make you dizzy: 365 meters long, 2,085 cabins for 7,600 passengers, 7 swimming pools, can we read in The voice of the North.

What, also, to attract criticism on an ecological balance sheet which promises to be as disproportionate as the project. Many people reacted after a tweet on this “Icon of the Seas”, seen almost 10 million times.

“And they ask me to turn off the light in the bathroom because I’m responsible for climate change,” regrets Luan. “Always bigger, always more equipped, always more devastating”, comments Alexandre. “But who could have predicted global warming? “, wonders for his part Mr Cinephilus, in reference to a sentence pronounced by Emmanuel Macron during his wishes for 2023.

“Don’t worry, we have banned plastic straws! “Slips Bruno Mazel. Several Internet users have had similar comments, comparing individual efforts to reduce its carbon footprint to this XXL liner project, much bigger than the Titanic.

A heavy carbon footprint

Beyond the reactions on the polluting side of the project, many references to the sinking of the Titanic were made. “The Titanic 2: this time the icebergs have almost all melted so there shouldn’t be any accidents”, “How many lifeboats will there be? I ask for a friend”, “I look forward to the release of the film in 2040”.

The first cruise of the “Icon of the Seas” packagebot, scheduled for January 2024, is already complete. An American would have even paid 94,000 dollars (85,000 euros) to be part of it. Inaugural testing took place in Finland, where the Royal Caribbean company’s craft was built. They did well, according to Royal Caribbean. Further tests are planned for the end of the year.

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The Yacht CO2 Tracker account has calculated the carbon footprint of the liner’s future passengers. It would amount to 108 kilos of CO2 per day and per person. This is the equivalent of 450 kilometers in a petrol car, with an average consumption of 6L/100km. Yacht CO2 Tracker specifies that the calculation was made for a scenario where the boat is full. The carbon footprint of tourists from their home to the cruise departure point has not been taken into account.

The liner should run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), a fuel sold as “green” but very polluting. According to the NGO Transport & Environment, the methane associated with the use of LNG has an impact 80 times greater than CO2.

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