At the end of January, the largest cruise ship ever built set sail from Miami on its maiden voyage. Sea icon from Royal Caribbean, which is longer than three football fields and 20 decks above the waves, she can accommodate 7,000 passengers and crew and is ready to travel the world for decades to come. Also, is this a net zero traffic icon?

The ship is powered by liquefied natural gas ( LNG ), not the traditional heavy fuel oil in this sector. LNG was seen by some as a viable low-carbon solution a decade ago when the ship was first planned, but it has raised growing concerns among environmentalists. Not only does LNG release only a quarter less carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions when burned than conventional marine fuel, it actually risks having a greater impact on emissions than a standard ship due to methane leakage in the natural gas supply chain; methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG), which is approximately 80 times more effective than CO₂. (Nick Ferris, more at energymonitor.ai)