A Redditor posted a video of a very large yacht passing a gigantic yacht that was at least five times its size, and commenters expressed concern.
One called it a "grotesque show of wealth."
Yachts and other forms of luxury travel have a significant environmental impact. Using energy such as oil and gas, they release pollutants into the air that contribute to the warming of the planet.
It is estimated that a yacht can produce about 1,600 tons of pollution per year, which is 100 times the average American's contribution, and that the 300 largest yachts in the world are responsible for producing 315,000 tons of pollution each year, which is more than some entire countries with populations in the millions.
While a cruise ship may also produce an enormous amount of pollution, the amount per person is much less than a private yacht since the cruise ship transports thousands of travelers and a private yacht typically only transports a few. It is the opposite of carpooling, in terms of the amount of pollution produced per person. A similar analogy can be drawn between commercial jets and private jets.
Some countries are attempting to deter the uber-rich from acquiring private jets and luxury yachts in an attempt to protect the environment in the form of luxury taxes. Canada's tax budget includes a 10% tax on luxury vehicles or boats that cost more than CAD $250,000 (USD $193,000). Because the people who purchase these vehicles are so rich, the tax may be doing little to reduce the use of these highly polluting private vessels.
Some companies in the boat-manufacturing industry are attempting to combat the excessive energy used by luxury yachts by creating electric and solar-powered yachts and using recycled materials. This could make a positive impact if more widely adopted.
Many people find the use of luxury vehicles, such as the enormous boats featured in the Reddit video, to be an unnecessary, excessive display of wealth that does not consider the negative effect it has on the environment.
"It's disgusting that individual people own these things," commented one Redditor.
Another commenter thought, "Boats like this being owned by one person and 600,000 people living and dying on the street should not exist in the same society."
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A third Redditor said, "Things are … becoming unsustainable."
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