Climate campaigners ‘expose hypocrisy’ of support for cruise industry
Friday, 3 May 2024
Climate activists voiced their frustrations at the impact of cruise ships when they took their campaign against the industry to a public discussion about Christchurch’s environmental future.
Members of Climate Liberation Aotearoa protested against the cruise industry during a screening of film on the subject at Tūranga library on Thursday evening.
The film, Outgrow The System, addresses the question of what an economy that serves the public good within environmental limits might look like in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
Among the panellists were Ali Adams, chief executive of economic and tourism development agency ChristchurchNZ, and Paul Dalziel, co-founder of NZ Wellbeing Economy Alliance.
Activists held a variety of placards and banners, including one urging the end to “luxury emissions”.
Ahead of the event, Climate Liberation Aotearoa said it would “hold Adams to account” and “expose hypocrisy”.
“Climate Liberation Aotearoa supports ChristchurchNZ wanting to ‘Outgrow the System’. We admire their ambitious goal to transform Christchurch’s economy ‘based on … shifting to a regenerative economy - where more carbon is eliminated than produced’,” said spokesperson Ivan Andrews.
“We question how supporting the cruise ship industry fits into this goal. Going on a cruise is perhaps the most destructive way to take a holiday.”
According to the campaigners, cruise ship holidays create about four times as much carbon as flying and staying in a hotel.
“By supporting the cruise ship industry ChristchurchNZ undermines its goal of transitioning to a carbon-negative economy.”
ChristchurchNZ has sponsored a conference of the New Zealand Cruise Association, Andrews said, and is funding training and support for volunteers to welcome cruise passengers.
“These subsidies are destructive and need to stop. We want all of these volunteers to be made fully aware of the damage that cruise ships are doing as part of their training so that they can make informed decisions about whether to participate in the program on cruise days.
“Christchurch City Council counts the emissions from cruise ships in its emissions targets, possibly the first council in New Zealand to do so.
“We call on ChristchurchNZ to publicly support this and to join us in requesting that the government include emissions from international shipping and aviation in our emissions budgets and emissions reduction plan.”
ChristchurchNZ declined to comment.
Campaigners from Climate Liberation Aotearoa have held a number of recent public protests, including against cruise ships in Auckland and Wellington.
Last month members of the group spoke with passengers from the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas at the Bridge of Remembrance in Christchurch, handing out leaflets outlining their concerns about the impact of the industry.
In 2019, Christchurch City Council adopted targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, covering all emissions in the district.
An inventory of emissions for the 2022/23 financial year included cruise ship emissions based on estimates of fuel used during journeys to and from the city - with emissions split equally between the origin and destination - and fuel used while stationary in Christchurch.
It estimated cruise ships produced 54,302 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a unit used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions) in the 2022/23 financial year.
This is equivalent to approximately 2% of Christchurch’s total gross emissions, and 4% of transport emissions. Cruise ship emissions could account for up to 55% of marine transport emissions related to Christchurch, the report said.