The maritime industry’s first movers stand steadfast to take
the steps needed to develop, test and scale the technologies required to
decarbonize international shipping according to the Getting to Zero Coalition,
an industry-led forum. While they believe that momentum is building around
shipping’s decarbonization efforts, research presented during the group’s
recent working session highlighted that the International Maritime Organization
goal of reducing international shipping’s emissions by at least 40 percent by
2030, will not be enough to prevent shipping’s adverse impact on the climate.
Announced at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in
September 2019, the Getting to Zero Coalition now counts more than 150 member
organizations. The members recently met to discuss their initiatives and review
the shipping industry’s goals and process towards reducing emissions.
“Members of the Getting to Zero Coalition are fully
committed to fast-tracking shipping’s decarbonization. I am impressed by the
desire to collaborate, share learnings, and take concrete action,” says
Johannah Christensen, Managing Director, Head of Projects & Programmes,
Global Maritime Forum. “While members are working together to develop new
technologies and business models, they call for ambitious, global regulation to
set the industry on a climate-friendly course, but they are prepared to move
ahead of the IMO and other regulators to ensure that scalable solutions are in
place when regulation is adopted.”
To meet the ambition of having commercially viable
zero-emission vessels operating along ocean trade routes by 2030, discussions
at the recent working session reveal several key issues that the members felt
would be critical to achieving the goals. Among the elements they discussed was
the need to develop policies, demand drivers, and funding mechanisms to
motivate and de-risk first-mover investments. They also believed it will be
important to adopt policy instruments and market-based measures to close the
competitiveness gap between conventional and zero emission fuels and associated
infrastructure.
”The decarbonization of shipping and its energy value chains
represents a large-scale systemic challenge and opportunity. This working
session has proven that it will require close collaboration and collective
action between the maritime, energy, infrastructure, and finance sectors, with
support from government and international organizations. Members of the Getting
to Zero Coalition represent the breadth and width that is required, and we
invite others who share our bold ambition to join them,” says Kristian Teleki,
Director, Friends of Ocean Action.
The members also highlighted the need to explore and narrow
down technologies, fuel options, and transition pathways to focus the
industry’s drive to achieve the decarbonization goals. They believe that there
is a need to identify and grasp the global opportunities for green energy
projects that can propel maritime shipping’s decarbonization.
“Policymakers are uniquely positioned to accelerate the
decarbonization of shipping and other hard-to-abate sectors when deciding on
policies and stimulus measures to kickstart the global economy post-COVID-19.
Governments can and must play an important role in building back better by
incentivizing the large-scale demonstration projects that are required to drive
down costs and accelerate the development of zero-carbon technologies,” says
Christoph Wolff, Head of Shaping the Future of Mobility, World Economic Forum.
At the working session’s closing plenary, Nigel Topping,
High-Level Climate Action Champion for COP26 said: “The shipping ecosystem
could well get to COP26 in Glasgow as an example of how to create a zero
emission future and work together around decarbonization. I look forward to
seeing how other industries can learn from you and join the race to zero. We
have a challenging but inspiring year ahead of us.”