Shipping going zero emissions……again

No more green tech shipping conferences around the world with the same people discussing the same topics with very little progress, still holding their cards tight lights will bring us nowhere if we look at the overall CO2 emissions. The same goes for any production and upscaling of biofuels and alternative fuels, as long as electricity is a scarce resource.

Shipping is currently focusing on autonomy, mega ships, improved engine technology, better lupe oil, LNG, scrubbers, waste heat recovery systems and installation of LED light in order cut  its overall CO2 emissions by 50% within 3 decades. Focusing on small optimizations to improve the efficiency as well as other fossils or energy intensive biofuels will not really impact the fact that shipping  continuously adds 2-3% annually to its CO2 emission.

We need to acknowledge that today’s newbuilds are all fossil ships that will be outmaneuvered by sustainable ships within the next 15-20 years and they will end as stranded assets. Shipping need to have a great number of zero emission ships in service within the next decade in order to meet its own targets.

Shipping is needed

We need to provide sustainable and affordable transport options, for all near coastal communities if we are to provide food and water for the mega cities and reduce the speed of urbanization

“The coastal strip will be home to the vast majority of the population growth over the coming decades both due to demographics and migration. These regions are also the most susceptible to flooding, extreme weather, depletion of natural resources and many are seismically active too. Having resilient, affordable and dependable marine transport will be absolutely vital in the coming decades” (Gavin Allwright, Secretary of IWSA).