CO2 output from shipping twice as much as airlines

[donsu]

http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2025726,00.html


Carbon dioxide emissions from shipping are double those of aviation and increasing at an alarming rate which will have a serious impact on global warming, according to research by the industry and European academics.
Separate studies suggest that maritime carbon dioxide emissions are not only higher than previously thought, but could rise by as much as 75% in the next 15 to 20 years if world trade continues to grow and no action is taken. The figures from the oil giant BP, which owns 50 tankers, and researchers at the Institute for Physics and Atmosphere in Wessling, Germany reveal that annual emissions from shipping range between 600 and 800m tonnes of carbon dioxide, or up to 5% of the global total. This is nearly double Britain's total emissions and more than all African countries combined.

Donald Gregory, director of environment at BP Marine, said this week that BP estimates that the global fleet of 70,000 ships uses approximately 200m tonnes of fuel a year and this is expected to grow to 350m tonnes a year by 2020. "We estimate carbon dioxide emissions from shipping to be 4% of the global total. Ships are getting bigger and every shipyard in the world has a full order book. There are about 20,000 new ships on order" he said.

-snip-

Yesterday Caroline Lucas, a Green MEP, said: " has got away with doing nothing and maintained a clean image which it does not deserve."
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the world is so screwed

[LongTomH]

1. Global warming and outsourcing

Why doesn't isn't there more discussion of the environmental downside of globalization? Oh yes, I forgot. Wal-Mart, Exxon-Mobil, etc.

[OxQQme]

2. Wow! The delivery is more lethal to planet earth

than the market. This, then, would have to include the diesel powered delivery system, once the product is offloaded from those ships.
This is something I'd not given any attention to, so I'm kicking it.

[achtung_circus]

3. See also

this thread in Environment/Energy

[donsu]

4. sorry I reposted - didn't see your thread

nt

[achtung_circus]

7. No sweat,

different forum, wider distribution.

[hfojvt]

5. is that a fair comparison?

Compare it by ton-miles, shipping is probably less than trucking.

[Little Wing]

6. No, it's ridiculous. It's true that all industries could find ways to reduce

fuel requirements, but considering shipping moves a few magnitudes more tonnage around the globe than air carriers, the statement is obvious and meaningless.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. CO2 emissions from commuters far exceeds...

CO2 emissions from roller coasters.

Let's all take roller coaster to work.