"Decarbonization" of global shipping industry is imperative

"Green" and "decarbonization" have become high-frequency words at the first "world aviation business conference" held in Hong Kong. Analysts believe that building a new world shipping ecosystem is inseparable from a green and healthy industry environment, and the "decarbonization" of the shipping industry is imperative.

 

In 2018, the international maritime organization adopted the preliminary strategy of greenhouse gas emission reduction and set the target of reducing the carbon emission intensity of the shipping industry by 40% from the benchmark in 2008 to 2030 and 50% of the total annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In order to achieve this goal, the shipping industry of various countries have joined the tide of "decarbonization".

 

Peter Taylor, managing director of commodities and global markets of Macquarie Group, said that at present, various emission reduction mechanisms are constantly improving, relevant regulatory policies are increasingly tightened, and more and more shipping end users, Charterers and ship financing banks are also joining the team to support "decarbonization" and actively seize opportunities.

 

Ji Yulong, Dean of the Graduate School of Dalian Maritime University, said after attending the conference online: "the emission reduction of the global shipping industry is of great significance to achieve and deal with the sustainable development goals related to climate change."

 

Ji Yulong believes that the continuous increase of carbon emissions will directly lead to global climate change and frequent disasters, which will have an adverse impact on the safety of the shipping industry and Global trade. At the same time, with the maturity of relevant rules such as carbon emission, the shipping industry will inevitably be limited by relevant rules; If we do not actively take countermeasures, it will greatly increase the shipping cost.

 

"However, due to the unclear regulation of 'decarbonization' in the shipping industry, various countries have their own regulations, and there is no unified standard; moreover, the high cost of zero carbon fuel in the shipping industry reduces the enthusiasm of ship owners to cooperate with the transformation of 'decarbonization'. At present, 80% of the world's fleet is owned by thousands of ship owners and companies of different ownership types, which makes it difficult to form a consensus on 'decarbonization' in the industry." Liang Haiming, a Hong Kong economist and President of the Silk Road wisdom Valley Research Institute, said that these directly led to the "decarbonization" task of the shipping industry not being completed on schedule.

 

Shipping industry is an ancient industry. It drives more than 90% of Global trade activities and has become the basic link of world economic development.

 

With the progress of civilization, people pay more attention to the protection of the natural environment while reaping economic fruits. Miao Jianmin, chairman of China Merchants Group, said that the "decarbonization" of the shipping industry is very important. He said that the greenhouse gas bulletin issued by the World Meteorological Organization pointed out that since 1990, the total radiation intensity of long-standing greenhouse gases in the world has increased by 45%, of which carbon dioxide accounts for four fifths. Carbon dioxide emissions from the shipping industry have increased continuously over the past decade. "Decarbonization" is imminent.

 

"If the carbon emissions of the shipping industry continue to rise, it will pollute the environment and have many adverse effects on the lives of residents along the coastline. The harmful gases emitted by the shipping industry will damage human health. Therefore, the 'decarbonization' of the shipping industry is very urgent." said Dr. Yang Dong of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University who attended the world shipping conference.

 

"In the context of global climate governance, decarbonization in the shipping industry is the general trend. With more choices of clean fuels, in-depth application of green technology and intelligent technology, low-carbon and zero carbon emission related technologies will become the key direction of the shipping industry in the future." Liang Haiming believes.