At 9am this morning, Climate Liberation Aotearoa activists disrupted cruise ship passengers as they exited the P&O Pacific Explorer at Queens Wharf in Auckland. Passengers were greeted with megaphone singing and chanting.

“Cruise ship passengers have for too long turned a blind eye to the damage they are causing to our climate,” said spokesperson James Cockle. “Through this action we wanted the cruise industry to know that it is not welcome in Aotearoa, and travelers here will be uncomfortably confronted by the reality of their holiday’s impacts.”

Every four days a large cruise ship is in the ocean causes one future person to die prematurely from climate change related causes. This harm cannot be justified, and should not be tolerated in the name of corporate interests or the comforts of the elite. Loud noises are the least harmful consequences of choosing to go on a cruise, but may be the most effective at making them undesirable.

“The anger passengers displayed when their comfort was disrupted is nothing compared to how we all should feel about the 5 million people’s lives lost every year due to fossil fuel pollution,” said Cockle. “Climate change is about human rights, which we must prioritise over luxuries.”

Climate Liberation Aotearoa is calling for an end to the lenience our government gives to the cruise ship industry, asking them to count cruise emissions in our emission targets and reduction plans, and ban these ships from sensitive natural environments.

© Scoop Media