The appearance of a superyacht in New Zealand over the Christmas holiday sparked plenty of jokes, but the boat's presence highlighted major issues with lavishness.
The ship, owned by Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, was in Wellington a year after it sailed to Auckland, Stuff reported. Spiegel is married to Australian model Miranda Kerr.
In the Facebook group Cook Strait, Gossip and Drama New Zealand, users carried on about the provenance of the massive vessel.
"Santa got an upgrade," one wrote, per Stuff.
Another stated: "My mate's just borrowing it off me. No need for alarm."
Stuff noted that the craft was moored for over a week at Silo Marina in Auckland in 2023, can carry 14 guests and about 20 crew, and costs around $20 million in annual maintenance.
Even when docked, these superyachts require significant resources.
"Yachts spend 10% to 20% of the year sailing and relying on engine power," Bloomberg reported. "... The rest of the year, the vessel is a floating hotel, relying on generators that are required for a longer period of time and emit more CO2."
The outlet noted that this carbon dioxide pollution is difficult to track because yachts are "exempt from International Marine Organization emission rules" but that the wealthiest 10% of Earth's population account for 50% of global CO2 pollution, per Oxfam International.
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Definitely 👍 "It would take about 1,500 years for someone in the bottom 99% to produce as much carbon as the richest billionaires do in a year," according to Oxfam International.
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This is nothing to joke about with the world amid a devastating climate crisis that is killing, displacing, and harming tens of millions of people every year. Premature deaths, extreme weather-related natural disasters, and negative health outcomes are all the result of humans' burning of dirty energy sources, which include coal, gas, and oil.
The only answer to this problem is to rein in our consumption habits to try to save ourselves, the planet, and the natural resources we rely on. The wealthy, who are more responsible than anyone, also have the power to make change. They have so far been unwilling, as the expanding superyacht industry as well as associated activities such as private jet travel shows.
If Santa were piloting that superyacht, throwing gifts off the bow to every person around, it would be one thing.
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