Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg sent his superyacht, Launchpad, to a facility in France for rejuvenation. While his $300 million vessel enjoyed time at a "superyacht spa," the rest of the planet was surely groaning underneath its massive pollution footprint.
As detailed by Luxurylaunches, Zuckerberg spent the summer cruising around Europe on Launchpad with his family before his superyacht went to La Ciotat for maintenance. In the process, it burned a staggering amount of polluting fuel.
Yacht CO2 Tracker, as relayed by Luxurylaunches, estimated it released 1,170 tons of carbon dioxide and 450,000 liters of diesel in just 32 days. Luxurylaunches said a person would have to circle the Earth in their car 116 times in the same time frame to match that level of consumption.
"I suppose when people say tech tycoons leave a mark with everything they do, this is perhaps what they meant," the article's author, Neha Tandon Sharma, wrote.
Zuckerberg isn't the only billionaire to come under scrutiny for his luxurious lifestyle.
Alternative energy sources such as hydrogen and solar may eventually provide a path to a cleaner yachting. As it stands, however, the yachts of the world's 50 richest billionaires produce as much carbon annually as the average person would in more than 12 lifetimes, according to Oxfam.
When high-profile billionaires, like Zuckerberg, are outspoken climate action advocates, critics find it hard to separate their stated values from their incredibly polluting choices. This is especially true when other luxurious — and more sustainable — options are readily available.
In addition to the risk of environmental contamination and the boats' massive amounts of pollution, yachts make noise. This can disrupt migration routes and communication between underwater creatures, ultimately harming the marine food web.
"They want us to adjust our lives so they can keep doing what they want," one Reddit user vented on the platform after Zuckerberg acquired Launchpad, which sleeps 26 guests and features a helipad, swimming pool, gym, sauna, and jacuzzi, per Luxurylaunches.
"I mean he is acting for climate change… to make it happen faster," another said.
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