• came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    i wonder what prevented and still prevents sophisticated processing infrastructure from being developed near where labor intensive, extractive systems generating "raw material" developed. lol just kidding, it's not a mystery at all!

    also, saying ocean freight is ecological compared to automobile shipping is a crap comparison. just about everything is ecological compared to automobile shipping. the fuel used for maritime shipping is like a step above asphalt and extremely carbon intensive. carbon emissions for the maritime sector was at the same level as the entire country of Germany in 2018 (the #5 emitter) and is expected to balloon up by 250% before 2050.

    maritime shipping is largely ignored by international climate talks because no nation wants to take responsibility and it's heavyweights typically enjoy weird extralegal territorial statuses and can play shell games like no other industry. like a dozen companies can have a stake in a single ship, through a complex network of ownership.

    maritime shipping is a serious ecological problem and will continue to be so until it is decarbonized.

    https://www.wired.com/story/container-ships-use-super-dirty-fuel-that-needs-to-change/

    short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS2cszwTTcg

    • star_wraith [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Yep, the whole thing that makes this kind of process "economically efficient" is that the environment is footing most of the bill. If you factor in environmental destruction into the equation it's no longer "economically efficient".