Megayachts are again a hot topic of conversation, as not one but two billionaire-owned vessels were spotted off the same Spanish island.
Nine-figure megayachts owned by tech billionaires Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg were seen docked off the Spanish city of Palma on the Mediterranean island Mallorca, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported. While Bezos was believed to be onboard his vessel, it was unclear whether Zuckerberg was on his.
As they often do, photos of the megayachts circulating online have sparked conversation about the staggering environmental impact of megayachts in particular and ultra-rich lifestyles generally.
According to a study by Oxfam, the average megayacht emits 6,252 tons of carbon dioxide every year. By comparison, Oxfam notes that it would take the average U.K. resident 860 years to be responsible for that level of pollution.
The bulk of megayachts' pollution comes from their engines, which often run on dirty diesel fuel. According to YATCO, while fuel use varies from vessel to vessel, a 70-meter megayacht (230 feet) can be expected to burn through approximately 500 liters (about 132 gallons) of fuel per hour.
For reference, Bezos' megayacht, Koru, is 127 meters (417 feet) long, and its accompanying support vessel alone is 75 meters (246 feet) in length, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
Critics argue that such unbridled consumption amounts to death by pollution. According to Oxfam, the pollution produced by the richest 1% of humanity is enough to result in 1.3 million deaths related to heat.
"This is climate inequality," the group asserted.
Commenters to a Reddit post about Zuckerberg's megayacht expressed a similar sentiment.
"I mean he is acting for climate change," commented one Redditor. "To make it happen faster."
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Definitely 👍 "Climate change is only for poor people, according to them," added another.
The vast disparity between the pollution from the super-rich and everyone else has led some to connect the issues of wealth inequality and the changing climate.
"For years we've fought to end the era of fossil fuels to save millions of lives and our planet," said Amitabh Behar of Oxfam. "It's clearer than ever this will be impossible until we, too, end the era of extreme wealth."
With Oxfam's data showing that it would take someone in the bottom 99% of wealth 1,500 years to pollute as much as ultrarich billionaires do in a single year, it is becoming increasingly difficult to argue otherwise.
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