The epidemics bit puzzles me. But anyway, they were only for two...

The epidemics bit puzzles me. But anyway, they were only for two of the four big decades, and they obviously didn't include the Spanish 'flu, where deaths ran into tens of millions over four years.

But, you are wrong - it is not I claiming that rising CO2 levels have reduced global deaths, but Rememdium. He/she is the one linking disasters with climate change.

"I bet the number of lives lost at sea today are tiny compared with the days of sail. Especially when you factor in the amount of freight being transported which is what it's all about."

I agree, but that doesn't make the sailing ships "primitive". Lee shores are a bastard, that's where most of the lives were lost. Probably still the reason with modern ships. But give a sailing ship modern navigational aids so that they actually know where they are, and they probably wouldn't be any worse off.