Which is more environmentally friendly: boat , train, car or plane?

Question

What will be the most environmentally friendly and logically possible way of transporting goods from Madhya Pradesh in India to the UK. I have to know this for a Geography Project.

I am pretending to be an environmental textile company that manufactures its goods in India for sale in the UK for a geography project on Globalisation.

Can anyone help and does anyone have any other ideas.

Answer 1

Slow boats are the best.  Here are some typical freight transport carbon emission levels, in Kg of carbon per Metric Ton-miles:

Boat  - 0.016

Train  - 0.027

Truck - 0.114

Plane - 0.30

(edit)

Obviously, you have to do the leg work to determine whether certain modes of transport are even viable for your situation.  Also, you must consider the length of travel.  For instance, if a water route is twice as long as a land route, you must consider the distance differential using the above factors.