How realistic are the UN’s goals?
Shipping should be climate-neutral by 2050. At least that’s the UN’s goal. But how realistic is that? at all?
New strategies are needed to mitigate the effects of climate change. Both technologies and laws pursue the goal of making industry climate-neutral. But this change depends on the industry and poses corresponding challenges.
One example is shipping: gigantic ships transport thousands of containers from one port to another every day. However, mostly heavy oil engines drive the rotors of the container ships. This is mainly due to the fact that switching to sustainable technologies requires significantly more time and inventive talent.
Climate-neutral shipping: the goals of the UN
In order to reduce emissions in shipping, the UN group “International Maritime Organization” (IMO) has now announced new goals. On July 7, 2023 the committee announced that the industry should be climate-neutral by 2050 at the latest. That seems quite ambitious, because shipping is for more than a billion tons of CO2 responsible.
According to the report, the industry can also achieve climate neutrality through compensation. In addition to setting the ultimate goal, the IMO also presented a timetable for the coming decades. While emissions are expected to be around 20 percent lower in 2030 compared to 2008, the difference by 2040 is 70 percent. The industry should also meet at least five percent of its fuel needs from sustainable sources by 2030.
Slowing down ships might be a first fix
Slowing down ships could be a first temporary solution. Because slower ships consume significantly less fuel during the journey. In addition, the industry is already offering other creative solutions, such as adding rotors and sails that use energy from wind power.
Another solution lies in the use of sustainable fuels. In addition to hydrogen, biofuels could also help to decarbonize the sector. A study assumes that technologies already available today could reduce emissions from ships by 50 percent.
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