Pirates of the Climate COP
"Even the Batman is no match for Donald Trump" If you run the numbers on energy expended to move weight or volume over distance, it becomes immediately obvious why, as soon as Europeans started building cities in North America, they began connecting lakes and rivers by canals. Hauling things over water is less energy-intensive, whether by mule-drawn barges or ginormous container ships. After boats, the next most efficient is rail, then truck, then horses, oxen, and humans on cargo bikes. Jevons Paradox has favored marine transport over alternatives to the point where it can even be competitive for Jeff Bezos to deliver your steaks from Argentina than for you to drive to the Farmer’s Market for something raised by a neighbor. Sadly, at that scale, you get “neglected externalities.” Global shipping accounts for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that is projected to rise to 10% over the next 25 years unless something changes (and many things might). Here ...
