Report
Greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from global shipping, 2016–2023
Maritime shipping
The maritime shipping program provides policymakers with the data and analysis they need to avoid, reduce, and eliminate pollution from the global shipping sector. Shipping accounted for nearly 3% of global human-caused CO2 emissions in 2018 and roughly 11% of life-cycle transportation CO2 emissions in 2020. Between 2012 and 2018, shipping’s CO2 emissions grew 10%, according to the Fourth IMO Greenhouse Gas Study, which ICCT co-authored. Methane emissions grew 145% over the same period. This is due to rapid growth in the use of natural gas as a marine fuel. Without additional policy action, shipping’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to are expected to grow 16% from 2018 to 2030, and 50% by 2050. Aligning with the Paris Agreement temperature goals requires immediate reductions this decade and achieving zero emissions by 2040 or 2050. This can be achieved using a mix of new fuels and technologies, but this transition requires strong policy support from the United Nations International Maritime Organization and regional, national, and sub-national governments.
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Researchers
- Serkan Ünalan, Associate Researcher (Berlin)
- Maricruz Fun Sang Cepeda, Associate Researcher (Rio de Janeiro)
- Dan Rutherford, Senior Director of Research (San Francisco)
- Bryan Comer, Marine Program Director (Washington, DC)
- Uwe Tietge, Research Lead (Berlin)
- Liudmila Osipova, Senior Researcher (Berlin)
- Jen Callahan, Managing Editor (Washington, D.C.)
- Xiaoli Mao, Program Lead (Washington, D.C.)
- Elise Sturrup, Researcher (Washington, D.C.)
- Zhihang Meng, Researcher (Beijing)
- Gabe Hillman Alvarez, Senior Model Developer (San Francisco)
- Tom Decker, Associate Researcher (Washington, D.C.)
- Ketan Gore, Associate Researcher (Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh)
- Hae Jeong Cho, Associate Researcher (San Francisco)