Fruit that is exported from the tropics (bananas, dragon fruit etc) are usually transported by boat. Having a huge boat bring the fruit seems unsustainable. Thoughts? Are there any pros to exported fruits from the tropics? I love my bananas!
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Yes eating fruit from far away is far more sustainable than eating animal products from local sources. The book How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything is an interesting read.
Shipping is a particularly efficient method of transport if you compare it to road transport. Container ships are huge and can carry up to 18,000 containers - that's 18,000 trucks.
I would think if you calculate the amount of fuel required per km (per tonne of weight) when comparing ship versus truck transport this would be a fraction in favour of transport by ship.
The only way for people in large markets such as Europe and North American to have access to bananas and other tropical fruits is to ship them from other continents.
In the case of Europe bananas are shipped from South and Central America to the port of Hamburg - this takes about three weeks. From Hamburg bananas are shipped across all of Europe. As such a much greater amount of fuel is required in the distribution process.
Bananas are the most popular fruit globally so a great fraction of tropical fruit consumed globally is the banana. In many countries with cold climates where of course bananas can not be grown bananas are the most popular fruit.
The tropics are ideally suited to the tropics where they have the highest yields for the least agricultural inputs. If shipping was stopped than bananas would have to be grown in less than ideal conditions. Consequently bananas would increase significantly in price and would place a greater impact on the environment as a greater amount of inputs would be required.
Finally what are you comparing bananas to? Meat requires much greater inputs for kg of output.
If comparing a vegan diet to an omnivorous diet than a vegan has half the impact on the environment.
Replies
Yes eating fruit from far away is far more sustainable than eating animal products from local sources. The book How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything is an interesting read.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LctfzDUbZ1A
Relax and continue to eat your bananas.
Shipping is a particularly efficient method of transport if you compare it to road transport. Container ships are huge and can carry up to 18,000 containers - that's 18,000 trucks.
I would think if you calculate the amount of fuel required per km (per tonne of weight) when comparing ship versus truck transport this would be a fraction in favour of transport by ship.
The only way for people in large markets such as Europe and North American to have access to bananas and other tropical fruits is to ship them from other continents.
In the case of Europe bananas are shipped from South and Central America to the port of Hamburg - this takes about three weeks. From Hamburg bananas are shipped across all of Europe. As such a much greater amount of fuel is required in the distribution process.
Bananas are the most popular fruit globally so a great fraction of tropical fruit consumed globally is the banana. In many countries with cold climates where of course bananas can not be grown bananas are the most popular fruit.
The tropics are ideally suited to the tropics where they have the highest yields for the least agricultural inputs. If shipping was stopped than bananas would have to be grown in less than ideal conditions. Consequently bananas would increase significantly in price and would place a greater impact on the environment as a greater amount of inputs would be required.
Finally what are you comparing bananas to? Meat requires much greater inputs for kg of output.
If comparing a vegan diet to an omnivorous diet than a vegan has half the impact on the environment.