For First Time in Two Decades, U.S. Buys More From Mexico Than China - eviltoast
  • RealFknNito@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Sir we’re turning cargo ships back into ones that use sails instead of engines due to the extremely high cost of using diesel as well as the apocalyptic climate cost. We can ship shit from Mexico to us using semitrucks. Land. That’s so much more cost efficient I struggle to put it into words.

    • bamboo@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Semitrucks are some of the least efficient vehicles we have. They burn like 15x the amount of fuel to bring a container 1 mile compared to a cargo ship. They’re also one of the harder vehicles to electrify as we decarbonize. In general, boats are more efficient than trains which are more efficient than trucks, and by a lot. Also, much of the US’ imports from Mexico arrive by sea because northern Mexico is very mountainous and rural. Other than factories built along the US border, it’s impractical to ship over land.

      • RealFknNito@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        They burn like 15x the amount of fuel to bring a container 1 mile compared to a cargo ship.

        First, source? Second, when the cargo ship is also going over 15x the distance, it’d better be effective at longer ranges. Third, trucking is how you get cargo containers from the dock to where it needs to go. Expanding on that existing system and scrapping some of the cargo ships that are already overutilized just seems like it would be better for everyone. Faster, cheaper, strategic. And even if we do still have to ship by sea, the distance goes from fucking China to neighbor.

        • bamboo@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          I never said that trucks don’t serve a purpose, they’re just really inefficient for long-distance transportation. If we’re maximizing for fuel efficiency, cargo is shipped to the nearest port to its destination, loaded on a train if the destination is further inland, and then a truck takes it the last mile to its destination.

          Regarding a source look at the table under “US freight transport” on this page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_efficiency_in_transport

    • Franklin@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      It is unquestionably better for the environment to use a more sustainable form of transit but the above comment I was replying to spoke mainly about logistics something that our routes with China have mastered and not that we can’t do the same or better with Mexico.

      • RealFknNito@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        The comment you replied to being mine which explained it’s easier and cheaper to get something from a neighbor than the literal other side of the world. Correct. I believe your position was the opposite of that statement.

        • Franklin@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          You are correct if they use trains however more than likely they will use traditional transport trucks which when accounted for the cost of each item is actually more expensive than shipping by barge of course this is offset if the point is far from a coast or shipping yard because then they would use traditional transport shipping as well.

          I guess the point I made inproperly was that it’s more complicated than saying it’s closer so it’s better