Shipping is a crucial cog in the global economy, but it is also a big polluter. This week we find out how one of the biggest names in the business, Maersk, is charting a course towards a cleaner, greener way of transporting cargo
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International trade and the global economy is reliant on ships to transport goods across the planet, but the sector is also a massive contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The industry will have to play an integral part of the energy transition, whether it likes it or not, as climate targets loom ever nearer on the horizon. Technology will help clean up shipping’s act, as will regulation, but when will we see emission-free vessels in the water?
Simon Bergulf, senior director for ESG Public & Regulatory Affairs at Maersk, one of the world’ largest shippers, is the guest on this week’s Policy Dispatch and talks to Sam about the course his company is charting.
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Simon Bergulf
Sam Morgan
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As with other hard-to-abate sectors, the shipping industry is facing many challenges to decarbonise sufficiently by 2050. Currently, the alternative fuel of choice for many is liquified natural gas (LNG) but the short-term gains negate the persistent long-term emissions. There are genuine low-carbon alternatives at hand if shipping can adjust its outlook
The energy transition is not simply a matter of replacing fossil fuels with zero-carbon alternatives. It will also be marked by a radical change in our relationship with energy and the spread of technologies like heat pumps and electric vehicles that can yield significant efficiency gains even before traditional energy savings measures come into play
Government support for Power-to-X projects and Denmark’s energy islands is essential in commercialising the technology, says Søren Rydbirk from Green Hydrogen Systems
Cutting emissions from road transportation is a major part of the energy transition. Electrification promises to transform the way we move people and things around
In many ways, ammonia can be an important part of the energy transition and be a catalyst to accelerate the development of the hydrogen economy, says Rami Reshef, CEO at Israeli fuel cell manufacturer GenCell Energy
Increasing the level of electrification, coupled with greater use of renewables, is the best way of avoiding a climate catastrophe, says Matthias Rebellius, Siemens AG Management Board Member
Low-carbon hydrogen will almost certainly be needed to cut emissions across a range of hard-to-abate sectors. However, if it is used to solve too many problems, it could end up delaying the energy transition and putting urgent decarbonisation plans in jeopardy
It is the affordability of renewables that makes direct and indirect electrification of heating, transportation and some industrial processes possible. Ridding the world of carbon pollution is no longer a pipedream, but a job to get done
Efficiency measures have cut greenhouse gas emissions in the shipping industry, but if the sector is to be part of the climate solution, radical action to adopt new cleaner fuels is the only answer
Enshrine stability and predictability in law to ramp up investment
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