It is a tale as old as time. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the planet falls further and further into disarray. 

The extremely wealthy and the environment have a parasitic relationship. As the rich benefit from their dirty energy-using yachts and private jets, our planet heats at an accelerated rate. 

One Redditor snapped photos of one of these status symbols: a superyacht topped with a helicopter pad. 

They shared the pictures on their local subreddit, r/portlandme.

One Redditor presumed in the comments that the photographed yacht is called Viva. If they are right, which is plausible based on photos of the Viva, the superyacht is a staggering 308 feet long, according to the Superyacht Times. 

On one of the yacht pictures are the words, "The rich are different from you and me."

And this is true. Over the last 60 years, according to the Urban Institute, wealth has been increasing inequitably. The wealth gap affects all members of society in different ways, keeping middle- and lower-class citizens worried about their finances and leaving the rich blissfully unaware of the state of the world. 

In their blissful state, billionaires and other members of the wealthy class purchase playthings to pass the time. Yachts and private jets, as previously mentioned, are trophies to the rich.

They are also heavy polluters. According to Time, the world's top 20 billionaires emitted, on average, 8,000 metric tons of planet-heating carbon dioxide in 2018. Meanwhile, Greenly says the average American's carbon footprint is 16 tons per year. 

Though the rich burn the most dirty energy, the whole planet — wealthy, poor, animal, plant, fungus, amoeba — suffers the consequences. 

Should the ultra-wealthy pay a tax to help offset their environmental impact? Absolutely 💯 Depends how they're taxed 💰 Only corporations should pay those 🏭 No way 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Dirty energy pollution is trapped in the atmosphere, and the heat contributes to shifts in the climate as well as in weather events. Natural disasters strike with more ferocity, air pollution hurts our lungs, and natural spaces lose biodiversity as animal populations decrease.

We all contribute to climate change in our day-to-day lives; the disparity in pollution is still cause for concern. 

Commenters, of course, were bothered by the posted megayacht. 

"My entire yearly salary wouldn't even fill the tank a quarter," one said.

Another suggested, "Can we ban these along with the cruise ships?"

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