GREEN activists met outside a Southampton-based cruise giant, to hand over a petition with more than 100,000 signatures.


The activists from Stand.Earth met Carnival bosses outside the company's UK headquarters in Harbour Road Southampton today, to hand over the petition.


It calls for all of the world's cruise companies to stop the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic.


The group say heavy fuel oil increases local air pollution and threatens human health.


These pollutants includes sulfur dioxides, nitrogen dioxides and carbon particles.


Stand.Earth say that cruise directly threaten Alaska and the Arctic, by accelerating snow and ice melt by omitting black carbon during their voyage.

In attendance were George Edwardson, President of the Iñupiat community of the Arctic Slope, Board Member for Inuit Circumpolar Council – Alaska and Delbert Pungowiyi, President of the Native Village of Savoonga, Alaska and member of the delegation to Carnival’s HQ.


Mr. Edwardson said: “I need to reach you. We have to save the ocean. My people and my food are important. There are over 13,000 of us in eight communities, with a 90,000-mile jurisdiction. I need everyone’s help to make sure it’s safe. Don’t save money using dirty oil. I need to stay alive.”


Mr. Pungowiyi said: “We’re at a critical time to protect what we have left. It’s not just about protecting our own people’s survival, it’s about the good of all.”


Kendra Ulrich, senior shipping campaigner at Stand.Earth said: "Carnival likes to tout its supposedly green credentials, but these claims don’t stand up to scrutiny. According to self-reported data, Carnival’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased by the year for over a decade."

A statement from Carnival UK Senior Vice President, Maritime Affairs, Tom Strang, welcomed the representatives to Carnival House and said: " As a Corporation we operate to the highest environmental standards and look forward to discussing the issues raised by Stand Earth".


The Protestors are asking Carnival to switch to low sulphur distillate, starting with its ships travelling to the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. The organization is also asking the company to install specialized filters to address its enormous soot emissions, and invest in the development of long-term clean shipping technologies that do not require fossil fuels.