Ships Bring Your Coffee, Snack and TV Set, But Also Pests and Diseases

Containers pile up in the Italian port of Salerno. Photo: FAOBy Baher KamalROME, Aug 23 2016 (IPS)“Every evening, millions of people all over the world will settle into their armchairs to watch some TV after a hard day at work. Many will have a snack or something to drink…… That TV probably arrived in a containership; the grain that made the bread in that sandwich came in a bulk carrier; the coffee probably came by sea, too. Even the electricity powering the TV set and lighting up the room was probably generated using fuel that came in a giant oil tanker.”This is what the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)  wants everybody to keep in mind ahead of this year’s World Maritime Day. “The truth is, shipping affects us all… No matter where you may be in the world, if you look around you, you are almost certain to see something that either has been or will be transported by sea, whether in the form of raw materials, components or the finished article.”Yet few people have any idea just how much they rely on shipping. For the vast majority, shipping is out of sight and out of mind, IMO comments. “This is a story that needs to be told… And this is why the theme that has been chosen for the World Maritime Day 2016 is “Shipping: indispensable to the world.” The Day is marked every year on 29 September. Over 80 Per Cent of Global Trade Carried by Sea Some $1.1 trillion worth of agricultural products are traded internationally each year. Photo: FAOMe...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Africa Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Climate Change Economy & Trade Editors' Choice Environment Europe Food & Agriculture Global Green Economy Headlines Health Labour Latin America & the Caribbean Middle East & North Africa Nat Source Type: news