You might not believe it, but cargo shipping is making the world a better place. Here’s what you should know.
It’s Fostering Economic Development
International freight shipping is a major driver of economic development. World trade has grown on average nearly twice as fast as world production for a number of decades. Cargo shipping has been responsible for 80% of the poverty reduction that’s lifted 500 million people around the world above the poverty line in the last 15 years. Asia, for example, was the poorest continent on the face of the Earth just 40 years ago — being twice as poor as Africa is today — and now it has the fastest growing economy, and is twice as rich as Africa.
It’s the Greenest Form of Transport
International shipping companies aren’t precisely green, but they are the greenest transportation solution out there. The 15 biggest ships in the world gave off the same amount of greenhouse gas as 760 million cars in 2009, which is the equivalent of two cars for every American, but at the same time, compared to trucks and planes, cargo shipping was still the greenest form of transport, relatively speaking that is.
It’s Connecting the World
The shipping industry is staggeringly huge, speaking economically. In the United Kingdom, it actually accounts for more of the nation’s gross domestic product than restaurants, takeaway food, and civil engineering, put together. It’s so big, that it actually constitutes about 90% of the world’s trade.
The cargo shipping industry is changing the world for the better. It’s combating poverty in poor parts of the world. It’s providing the greenest way to transport goods. And it’s connecting the world.
If you have any questions about how an international trading company could possibly improve the world, feel free to share in the comments.