Climate Change

The Good

Sail Freight/Passengers

A few companies that are trying to return to low/zero emission sailing ships for cargo and passengers. A very, very small drop in the bucket of international shipping, but better than nothing.

SailCargo Inc.

  • Vega:
    • 3 masted square-rigged schooner
    • Cargo Cap: 82 dwt, 148 m3
    • Auxiliary: ?
    • Started: 2023
  • Ceiba:
    • 3 masted square-rigged schooner
    • Cargo Cap: 190 metric tons, 350 m3 (9 TEU equivalent)
    • Auxiliary: Electric
    • Started: Estimated 2025
  • Cargo: Coffee
  • Routes: Columbia to New Jersey

Timbercoast

  • Timbercoast:
    • 2 masted schooner
    • Auxiliary: Diesel
    • Cargo Cap: 114 dwt, 135 m3
    • Solar: 2.1 kW
    • Wind: 2x 400W
    • Prop: 24V, 110Amps (?)
  • Cargo: Coffee, Rum, Chocolate?
  • Routes: Germany, Spain, Caribbean, Mexico, Azores, UK

Sea Cloud.

  • Sea Cloud:
    • 4 masted square-rigged schooner
    • Cargo: 64 passengers
  • Sea Cloud II:
    • 3 masted square-rigged schooner (barque)
    • Cargo: 94 passengers
  • Sea Cloud Spirit:
    • 3 masted square-rigged schooner (barque)
    • Cargo: 136 passengers
  • A cruise line that uses sail-powered ships. I would guess they have plenty of fossil-fuel engines for auxiliary power, but their web site is unclear.

Schooner Apollonia

  • Apollonia:
    • 2 masted gaff-rigged, steel hulled schooner
    • Cargo Cap: 10 tons
    • Started: 2020
  • Routes: Hudson NY to New York City
  • They also focus on low/zero emissions in getting cargo from the dock to the customer.

The Bad

I recently wrote a letter to five of my elected representatives with a suggestion for the kinds of changes we should be making to prevent climate change from getting worse than it already is, without making an already unjust situation even more so. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, not one of them bothered to respond.

My proposal was very much US-centric because that’s about as far as I could stretch my self. Sorry.

The Ugly

Under Construction

Picture lots of graphs here, showing fossil fuel use, atmospheric CO2, global temperatures, costs associated with climate change, etc.

(^ conscious reference back at the late 90’s and 00’s, when just about every web page was perpetually under construction)