Water is green

[T_i_B]

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/amy_reed/2007/11/water_is_green.html

It's often said that the industrial revolution can be blamed for jump-starting the problem of climate change. But there is a lesson from that era of pollution and innovation that can in fact teach us how to cut carbon emissions today: carrying goods by water. Businesses are fast re-learning that water freight can deliver environmental benefits while still being competitive on price and on time and reliability.

Savvy retailers can meet some of their CSR goals by greening up their supply chains - taking their goods off the road, and shipping them on coastal and inland waterways. After all, according to the government's figures, water freight emits only 22 grams of C02 per tonne-kilometre, compared to 59 grams per tonne-kilometre on roads, and 28 grams when using rail. And the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research has concluded that water-freight transportation is four times less carbon intensive than that of road.

It is not just carbon: increased water freight transportation can also reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide emitted into the atmosphere by 35%. Using water also helps to deal with congestion. Barges, at their full capacity, move far more freight than lorries: a single barge moves 300-400 tonnes of aggregate, taking 15-20 lorries off the road. The waterways are also not congested, so using water can be at least as quick, and certainly more reliable, than using Britain's congested road network. Retailers can also sidestep road congestion charges. So water freight both cuts congestion, by taking lorries off the road, and at the same time bypasses it.

In short, there is a good environmental case for moving goods on waterways, and at the same time a strong business case. That is why there are increasing numbers of businesses making the decision to switch to water.