International shipping must pursue a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050, the UK said on Monday.
Releasing its call for action at the start of London International Shipping Week (LISW), the UK government and the UK Chamber of Shipping said they want the International Maritime Organization to double its existing target. The United Nations' body is currently aiming to require the global shipping industry to cut its emissions by 50% compared to 2008 levels.
The trade association pointed out that the UK government’s recently published Sixth Carbon Budget, which included shipping for the first time, and the recent Transport Decarbonisation Plan called for shipping to reach net zero by 2050. But this has not yet been agreed at an international level.
Not far enough
UK Chamber of Shipping chief executive Bob Sanguinetti said the body wants to be “at the forefront of the green agenda and now is the time to call for radical action”.
“The aim of cutting shipping’s emissions by 50% just doesn’t go far enough,” Sanguinetti said. “We need to show the world we mean business and it is imperative that the IMO commits to a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.”
He referenced the UN climate change conference, COP26, which the UK is hosting in Glasgow in seven weeks.
“The shipping industry is one of the cleanest ways of moving goods around the world,” he said, with the UK Chamber of Shipping citing that the industry currently contributes around 2.4% of global greenhouse gases each year while moving about 90% of world trade.
But we know we need to do more to cut our emissions,” Sanguinetti said. “We can’t kick the can down the road anymore. We need real action at the international level, and we will work with our partners within the IMO to pursue the target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
Responsibilities
UK Chamber of Shipping president John Denholm said the world needs to know that shipping takes its responsibilities seriously.
“By setting the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, people would be in no doubt about the green credentials of the shipping sector,” he said.
UK transport minister Grant Shapps welcomed the UK Chamber of Shipping’s push on emissions.
“As a maritime nation with a rich history, and host of COP26 this year, we are proud to be at the forefront of the greener era for maritime, charting an international course for the future of clean shipping,” he said.
Shapps described himself as “incredibly excited” by the changes in the sector.
He said the speed of progress is highlighted by the prospect of zero-emission commercial vessels in UK waters in the next few years and green English Channel crossings within a decade.
At a speech during LISW on Wednesday, Shapps will announce the winners of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, focused on innovative green maritime solutions.
He is also expected to reassert the importance of building a thriving maritime sector focused on innovation, highlighting his ambition to have zero-emission vessels entering into commercial service by 2025.
