Brief
"Not As Bad As Planes" would be an excellent strap-line for the shipping industry to adopt. And, from a carbon perspective, it's certainly true.
Nevertheless, the global shipping industry is still responsible for roughly 1 billion tonnes of CO2 every year, a very significant number - and one that an increasingly global economy is continuing to drive as we purchase more and more from overseas markets. In fact, shipping transports 90% of the world's trade. But, because shipping isn't as bad as air travel (or intensive farming or electricity production or chopping down rainforests) its impact often gets overlooked....