Panama Canal global warming woes

[Leap1]

@OrmontUS

This reduces the supply of the vast amount of goods destined to the US which passes through the Canal and which will likely increase prices - and therefore increase inflationary pressure. As the El Ninyo weather pattern is expected next year, this is expected to exacerbate the problem.

A butterfly flapping its wings in Beijing affects the weather in NYC.

Game theory? This favors the US.

China was dependent on the locks to feed some of its appetite in South and Central America. The US and Mexico can operate strategically with Asia and Europe, along with Africa and the ME. The costs do not go up as much to us as to the Asian powers and European powers. Note our trade deficits are falling.

[MarkR]

@jerryab2

It could be done–but at what cost? It all comes down to $$$.

Not really. In the end it comes down mainly to time. And cost. Because by the time you run the gauntlet of regulations, and environmental challenges (with the associated legal fees, of course), and you get somewhat close to approval, 10 or 15 years may have passed, and now there’s a whole new set of people to deal with, and a whole new set of politicians whose campaigns need to be contributed to. And sometimes the whole cycle starts anew. For example, check when the last new refinery was built in the USA, existing refineries are expanded due to grandfathering, but see when the most recent state of art (meaning much cleaner and more efficient) one was built.

[DrBob2]

@flyerboys

Do not forget that Panama has a limited capacity due to its need for rainfall, always a limitation, and now GCC seems to be cutting what rainfall was there.

People like to attribute things to climate change, but there has been no significant trend in precipitation in Panama over the last 30 years. The insignificant trend is actually positive, an increase of 1.2 mm/yr.
https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/countries/panama/average-precipitation-by-year
DB2

[flyerboys]

As you saw, I wrote GCC “seems” to be affecting.

Changing climate casts a shadow over the future of the Panama Canal – and...

“Paton cautions against ascribing the changing patterns completely to the climate crisis… The increase in frequency is consistent with climate change models,” he says, “but the climate change models have not come out saying for sure…However, statistically what is going on now “has no analogue in the previous 100 years of data,” he adds.

Weather getting weirder almost everywhere is an ever more sure bet.

d fb

[DrBob2]

If 30 years of warming has resulting in either more or unchanged precipitation I think Paton is over reacting about possible drying.

DB2

[DrBob2]

@RedCloud1

Why bother unloading ships at a west coast port of Mexico if the cargo is destined for the USA?

This transshipment has been going on for years, particularly from the port of Mazatlan. Here is a brochure from Hapag-Lloyd describing their services. They work from seven ports with two railroads into the US. This is, however, different from the proposed Pacific/Caribbean transshipment.

Mexico Intermodal
https://www.hapag-lloyd.com/content/dam/website/downloads/press_and_media/publications/InlandBrochureAreaMexiko_online.pdf