In Ōtepoti Dunedin at approximately 11:30 am Wednesday 26th of Feb, supporters of Climate Liberation Aotearoa hung a large banner down the front surface of Larnach Castle which read: “You Cruise We Lose” as cruise ship passengers were visiting the historic site.

“Today more than ever, audacious actions like these are needed as an essential form of protest action” said spokesperson Ian Bretherton.

This action took place on the same day that 5 Restore Passenger Rail activists appear in court in Wellington after taking protest action in October 2022.

“Many cruise ship passengers do not realise the harm that the ships are doing. By taking provocative action like this we aim to get the message out there to as many people as possible - ‘You cruise, we all lose’ ” said Ian.

One cruise ship can produce as much cancer causing fine particulate matter as one million cars and a 3,000 plus passenger cruise ship on a ten day cruise emits enough CO2 to kill a person before 2100 due to climate related causes [1].

Larnach Castle is one of New Zealand’s premier visitor attractions and a popular site for cruise passenger day tours.

“While the prime minister calls for ‘Growth, Growth, Growth’ most New Zealanders realise that this approach is delusional as we see the effects of growth at all costs decimate the natural world on which we depend for our survival.” said Ian.

“While Luxon talks in bumper stickers about growth, actual experts in the field of tourism, such as University of Otago Professor James Higham, have spoken clearly on the issue: ‘The current government’s plans for the visitor economy are void of any thinking or any evidence of commitment to sustainable tourism [2].’

“Neither will we be silenced by the threat of proposals to increase police powers when dealing with protesters [3].”

Notes:

[1] https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2021/07/29/more-carbon-emissions-will-kill-more-people-heres-how-many/

[2] https://jameshigham.com/tourism-growth-how-much-is-too-much/?trk=public\_post\_comment-text

[3] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/police-authority-calls-for-new-law-laying-out-how-to-deal-with-protests/IFHCEA4GXVCILFJ4O2MQDJIQWA/

© Scoop Media