John,

It’s nauseating.

The earth is burning, the oceans are boiling, and the Gulf Stream -one of the most important ocean currents for saving our planet- could collapse as soon as 2025 as a result of the climate crisis.

Amidst the climate crisis, the multinational Royal Caribbean has chosen to announce the launch of Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world. What does this mean for the environment? An increase in ocean waste, higher levels of greenhouse gasses, and a greater risk for animal and plant species, with many facing the risk of permanent extinction. This single cruise ship will cause as much pollution as that of millions of cars!"

This cruise ship, or rather, this devourer of the seas, is the perfect allegory of a society that seems ready to sacrifice everything, even our survival, in the name of profit.

However if we create a massive mobilisation, we can make these sea monsters so unpopular that they will be banned in many ports, as is already the case at ports in Venice and Amsterdam. If we mobilise massively, large cruise ships will eventually disappear on their own due to their lack of profitability.

Say NO to giant cruise ships!

Icon of the Seas is approximately the size of four soccer stadiums. Boasting just over twenty decks, it weighs five times more than the Titanic. The cruise ship will feature 40 restaurants, a park, a waterfall, a dozen swimming pools, an ice rink, a theater, a cinema, a casino, bars... Simply terrifying.

This excess comes at a price. This type of ship demands massive engines, which can reach heights equivalent to those of four-story buildings. These engines run on extremely toxic fuels, or, for a few recent exceptions, on liquefied gas - a fuel touted as a green alternative, but in reality extracted by fracking, a process known to have disastrous consequences for the environment.

Some of these ships also release their wastewater into the ocean with minimal treatment. A significant amount of waste, including plastic, is discarded into the ocean, worsening the problem of ocean pollution.

Once these ships reach the end of their service life, typically within a span of 40 years, they must be dismantled. These highly polluting operations often take place on beaches in low-income countries, where workers lack adequate protective equipment.

These ecological disasters must be banned now.

John, sign the petition to demand a ban on these monsters of the seas in ports worldwide.

If you mobilise for the planet as you have done before, we can turn this depressing moment into a major victory.

Icon of the Seas is so disastrous that it provides us with the chance to make a powerful statement and place cruise regulation at the heart of the discussion.

If members like you, John, mobilise in big enough numbers, we could have a surprise in store for Royal Caribbean when they launch this aberration of the seas in January 2024.

What do you say, John? Are you in?