alt.energy.renewable

Global warming has opened up the North West Passage around the top of Canada
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It is now clear all year around. Also the
North East passage across the top of Russia too. Hence the political grapple
for claims of seas, ice, etc up there by Canada, Russia, USA, Norway.

A post-panamax container ships - larger than the Panama Canal locks can
take, so can only sail from one side of an ocean to another - can sail from
the Far East to Europe and the North East USA/Canada and cut off 1000s of
miles, reducing much fuel used. The average container ship holds 6,000
containers, post-panamax, 9,000 to 11,000 containers.

These behemoths are far cheaper to transport and use less fuel per container
in the process. Transporting good by sea is by far the most fuel efficient
and most of the smoke does not come in contact with people's lungs. Far less
fuel is use per container to transport across the Atlantic that what is use
to transport it on a truck to its final destination and the journey to the
container port. As fuel gets more expensive, industry then will cluster
around the ports as it did in the past. Industry only moved inland because
of cheap fuel to transport raw materials and finished goods. Then only a
few ports will be important, as was the case previously; those which are
post-panamax ports.

So there are some benefits to global warming :-( Except when one sinks in
such cold waters.