transporting goods by water was much more efficient and eco-friendly

That depends on your criteria, unfortunately. When I were a 'prentice, Hardy Spicer had a barge or two float past where I worked. A factory a few miles away made prop shafts, probably a foundry, and a machining shop 'tother side. It was reckoned they had, in the boat, a warehouse full of stuff. If things got out of sunc they could always drive to the boat and take enough off for the crisis.

But warehousing is bulk money tied up and not "earning". JIT manufacturing rules these days (Just In Time). The limitations of which we are about to find out, here in the UK, when all the worms start creeping out of the woodwork. Unintended consequences they say. Poor thinking I say. Some peeps/firms have already boosted the UK economy temporarily by hedging their bets and stockpiling (aka warehousing). But it is temporary cash flow that suffers. And money
rules! And costs!

Until the world accepts that being eco-friendly creates limitation that they are prepared to suffer - crafts will decline.
The only thing in life is change - what about death you ask - well, as changes go................