7 September 2019 | New Scientist | 23T
HREE per cent. That is how
much the shipping industry
contributes to total global
carbon emissions. It might not
sound much for a sector that
carries 90 per cent of world trade.
But given current predictions for
climate change, that number
needs to fall drastically, and fast.
It isn’t just about greenhouse
gases. The shipping industry
still uses “bunker fuel” made
from the remnants of petrol
refining. Loaded with noxious
gases and fine particles, it is
a major contributor to the
4.2 million people whose deaths
are attributed to air pollution
globally every year.
Some progress has been made
already, with an agreement to
slash the maximum sulphur
content in fuels from 3.5 to 0.5 per
cent from 2020. This took the
174 members of the International
Maritime Organization 12 years
to negotiate. We don’t have that
kind of time for the next steps.
In 2018, the shipping
industry set a target of reducing
greenhouse gas emissions in 2050
to half what they were in 2008. The
world’s largest shipping company,
Maersk, set a zero-carbon target
for mid-century, and has ploughed
more than $1 billion into cutting
emissions. Other companies are
taking similar steps, installing
scrubbers to reduce sulphur
emissions, converting boats
to run on liquefied natural gas
and even fitting sails.
The truth is, though, that the
JOSIE FORDtechnologies to help them hit their
Comment
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Simon Ings p32most ambitious targets don’t yet
exist. If we leave the companies to
carry all the responsibility and
risk, we shouldn’t be surprised
if they abandon their ambitions.
To succeed, we must combine
easy-to-implement, short-term
measures with ambitious, long-
term policies and investment.
First, we must ban bunker
fuel and stop oil companies
using the shipping industry
as a waste disposal system for
otherwise unusable fuel. Major oil
companies that have prepared for
such a ban and have invested in
cleaner fuels now support tougherregulations on dirty fuel such as
the 2020 sulphur cap, because this
gives them a competitive edge.
Second, we must impose speed
limits. Cutting speeds now by
20 per cent below the 2012 average
would by 2030 reduce emissions
by up to a third compared with
business as usual. Yes, this would
slow trade, but goods transported
by sea aren’t generally perishable.
Technology can help to make the
flow of ships more predictable and
reduce time spent idling, such as
waiting their turn to dock.
Third, ships in port must be able
to connect with the land-basedelectricity grid to support activities
such as loading, heating and
lighting, rather than using their
auxiliary engines. Ports including
Vancouver and Seattle have
been equipped with shore-power
technologies. California has
even made it mandatory.
Fourth, shipowners need to
embrace innovation. Through
the Efficient Solutions labelling
scheme established by my Solar
Impulse Foundation, I have come
across astonishing innovations
that can reduce costs as well as
emissions in the shipping sector.
Auxiliary wind propulsion
systems, such as Bound4blue’s
rigid wingsails or Norsepower’s
rotor sails, are inspiring examples.
Support is needed from
elsewhere to help those prepared
to take risks. In June, the banking
sector created the Poseidon
Principles to encourage lending
for greener shipping. That is
heartening, and fundamental
to ensuring that the next wave
of ships to be built don’t lock us
into a carbon-intensive maritime
future until mid-century.
For years, I have been an
advocate of bridging the gap
between economy and ecology,
using the market to find solutions
that protect the environment
and make good business
sense. For shipping too, those
solutions are out there. ❚Time for a sea change
The global shipping industry has a huge emissions problem.
We must work together to solve it, says Bertrand PiccardBertrand Piccard co-piloted
a round-the-world solar-
powered flight and runs the
Solar Impulse Foundation