· 6 min read
That a billionaire super yacht too can be consumed by climate violence - was precisely the fate of ‘Bayesian’, off the coast of Sicily. Three key messages come out loud and clear: 1. There is nowhere to hide from climate breakdown. 2. Oceans are a critical regulator of Climate. We need to look after them. 3. Shipping is one of the most polluting business. Like airlines it remains outside the purview of the Paris Agreement.
Mother Nature while pushing back father greed could entangle a billionaire. “Lynch now has the dubious distinction of being the first billionaire killed by climate-induced extreme weather. It shows that no amount of wealth can make you immune from the growing destructive power of global warming”, writes Peter McKillop for Climate & Capital Media.
“The freak accident also sheds light on his class - the world’s industrial plutocrats - who, for 150 years, have enjoyed immense prosperity from exploiting the Earth but are now feeling the blowback of their carbon waste”, says McKillop.
Mind you - a water spout or water tornado can topple any boat in a lake as well. And any unsinkable vessel could possibly sink as did the superyacht. You don’t need a Bayesian inference to figure out the forces unleashed by a heating planet, and its consequences.
Gregory Salle at France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) believes superyachts are more than climate polluters. Wastewater, noise and light pollution, particulate matter in exhaust, and even where the vessels dock can have an adverse effect on the local environment. He terms these vessels “a form of ecocide”.
How prepped are you?
‘Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires’ author Douglas Rushkoff explains: “It's by building some piece of incredible technology - like a bunker or spaceship - that hides them from the externalized problems of what they've done”, that they continue to delude themselves. The notion of “doomsday prepping” was popularized in the mainstream by the National Geographic channel’s show by the same name. The show’s website offers a quiz titled “How prepped are you?”. You can test your own likelihood of surviving an apocalypse. Here is an all-rounded story: The super-rich ‘preppers’ planning!
All at sea
71 per cent of the Earth’s surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5 per cent of all the Earth’s water. “The Oceans are the primary regulator of the climate and the life support system for the entire planet. Humanity cannot survive without a healthy marine ecosystem”. And the reason why it makes a long list according to Dr. Howard Dryden:
1. Plankton absorb more than 50% of our carbon dioxide.
2. Plankton produce more than 50% of our oxygen, in reality it is probably closer to 95%.
3. Plankton control surface water evaporation, energy transfer to atmosphere and the strength of the winds.
4. Plankton bodies along with a chemical called DMS, are the primary reason for clouds, rain, and solar reflection.
5. Oceans regulate humidity, which is more than 50% of all greenhouse gas.
6. Marine snow and the abyss are the main carbon bank for the planet.
7. 30% of the world depends upon food from the sea.
Polluting elephants in the room
According to the Guardian, just one of the world's largest container ships can emit about as much pollution as 50 million cars. Further, the 15 largest ships in the world emit as much nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide as the world's 760 million cars.
"And if the shipping industry were a country, it would be ranked between Germany and Japan as the sixth-largest contributor to global CO2 emissions."
Most of the pollution occurs far out at sea, out of the sight and minds of consumers - and out of the reach of any government.
"Ships are the polluting 'elephants in the room' nobody is talking about despite a global drive to make oceans cleaner, according to new research."
"Nearly every vessel, from commercial vessels to day-tripper yachts, are continually releasing substantial amounts of toxic metals into the sea”, according to the study published in Environment International.
Led by Dr. Gordon Watson, of the University of Portsmouth, the study coincides with the launch of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science to focus on healthy seas and a sustainable blue economy. “It's ironic that highly polluting vessels continue to pollute the seas right under our noses. Toxic metals from shipping, is a hidden threat to healthy seas and nobody's really talking about it", says Dr. Watson.
Alongside educating boat owners on using less toxic anti-fouling paints and anodes, Dr. Watson and colleagues call for urgent legislation to ensure that shipping is front and centre of sustainable ocean policies.
"The researchers calculated that all vessels from a sailing boat to a cruise liner release substantial amounts of metals such as copper, zinc and nickel, which then accumulate in the ocean's sediments."
Copper is used as a biocide in paints to prevent organisms from growing on hulls. These anti-fouling paints are recoated regularly to ensure that the hull remains clean of encrusting barnacles and other marine organisms that slow down boats, making shipping more expensive.
Nearly all boats also have metal blocks attached beneath the waterline. Often called sacrificial anodes, their role is to degrade first, thereby protecting the hull from corrosion and these are often made of zinc.
Finally, increasing numbers of diesel-powered ships have had scrubbers fitted to reduce the emissions of harmful gases to the atmosphere. An unintended consequence of this is the discharge of wastewater with high concentrations of metals such as nickel during the exhaust-gas cleaning process.
The worst fuel in the world
Today, most ships burn bunker fuel. Typically, it’s the dregs left over at the end of the refinery process. It is an environmental nightmare. It is heavy and toxic, doesn’t evaporate, and emits more sulphur than other fuels. It is poisonous to fish and crustaceans and isn’t much good for seabirds – or for humans living near ports.
Many analysts believe that the only way that the industry is going to be weaned off its dirty habit is by the introduction of tough new regulations by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
In conclusion
“Gloating over anyone’s tragedy, even a billionaire, is never moral or just. However, as McKillop says, it reminds us of the growing environmental, social, and economic chaos the billionaire class is sewing worldwide. They have become an unelected shadow government of sorts whose money and influence distort everything from political elections to how philanthropies fund climate action”.
illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.
