Home/Posts Tagged ‘freight’
Posts Tagged ‘freight’
Climate Change, Science & Technology, Jul 16th, 2012,
The global shipping industry produces 3 billion metric tons of carbon emissions every year. That’s as much CO2 as the combined output of Japan, Canada, Mexico and Germany. Greenhouse gas emissions from freight are a serious problem, but there are examples of alternative technology. One that is probably more familiar to most of us is the use of overhead electric cables, like the ones used to power tram lines or trolleybuses. Freight trucks could be powered in the same way. In Brandenburg, Germany a project that uses such a method is being field tested. From Deutsche Welle: Freight trucks with…
Tags: co2, freight, shipping, trolleybus
Climate Change, Pollution, Science & Technology, Feb 22nd, 2011,
More and more goods are being shipped from China to Europe in an unstoppable relationship based on cheap production and ever-increasing consumption. This means more energy and greenhouse gas emissions. But freight companies are also developing and implementing ways to become more energy efficient and lower their emissions. Danish shipping giant Maersk has ordered 10 new mega ships (with an option for 20 more) to be used between China and Europe. These floating blocks of skyscrapers can carry 20% more than the largest freighters currently at sea and are too big to be used at ports in the Americas. Ocean…
Tags: China, emissions, Europe, freight, Gottard, Maersk, ocean, rail, shipping, trains, trucks, tunnel
Climate Change, Science & Technology, Sep 10th, 2010,
IPCC Climate scientists have already stated that air travel contributes to climate change though emitting CO2, water vapor, nitrous oxides, sulfate aerosols and soot. Each of these varieties of airplane emissions factor into global warming in different ways, including short and long-term warming effects. A new scientific paper from Norway compares the climate impact of different modes of both passenger and freight transport. The study puts ocean and rail as having the lowest impact in terms of freight, with light trucks and air having the highest across the board. In the case of passenger travel, ‘rail, coach or two- and…
Tags: aerosols, air, cars, Climate change, co2, freight, global warming, impact, long term, nitrous oxide, planes, rail, short term, transport, travel, vapor
Climate Change, Health, Pollution, Science & Technology, Jul 9th, 2010,
I’ve assumed that transport via boat, whether shipping goods or people, is less polluting and has a lower carbon footprint than flying or road freight, for example. Not so, according to both scientific research and inside information from the maritime shipping industry. While diesel cars – once known as smelly, noisy polluters – have relatively cleaned up their act to the level of standard petrol or gasoline-fuelled cars, the heavy-duty diesel and low-grade fuel oil engines that power ships are a scourge on the environment and human health. From an article in the Economist: Research by James Corbett of the…
Tags: cargo, cars, Danish, deaths, denmark, diesel, emissions, environment, freight, H2O, Health, industry, nitrogen, ocean, oxide, Pollution, research, ship, shipping, ships, US
Climate Change, Videos & Documentaries, Jun 12th, 2010,
Haulage, or the commercial transport of goods by road, aka road freight, is a little discussed, but important environmental issue. The environmental impact of haulage is considered to be significantly higher than freight by rail or sea, due to its heavy production of pollution and greenhouse gasses. The damage and congestion inflicted upon roads is also an expensive burden on infrastructure. Haulers – ‘hauliers’ in the UK – drive massive trucks called semis, tractor-trailers, 18 wheelers or big rigs in the US – ‘lorries’ in the UK – loaded with goods for transport from A to B. The haulage industry…
Tags: David Mitchell, environmental, freight, greenhouse gasses, haulage, haulers, hauliers, impact, lorries, Pollution, road, soap box, UK, unsustainable, US
