Shipping is responsible for transporting 90% of world trade which has doubled in 25 years. Donald Gregory, director of environment at BP Marine, said ... "We estimate carbon dioxide emissions from shipping to be 4% of the global total. "
So what's the fuss about? Why is the Guardian getting its knickers in a twist over this? After all, that seems a pretty good total considering the other uses of fossil fuels in our so-called civilisation. Well the answer is that this total is likely to grow hugely:
Ships are getting bigger and every shipyard in the world has a full order book. There are about 20,000 new ships on orderin fact
Separate studies suggest that maritime carbon dioxide emissions are not only higher than previously thought, but could rise by as much as 75% in the next 15 to 20 years if world trade continues to grow and no action is taken
I was surprised and found this comment pertinent to my surprise.
Yesterday Caroline Lucas, a Green MEP, said: "[Shipping] has got away with doing nothing and maintained a clean image which it does not deserve."
Interestingly there are designs around that could make a difference. I guess it will take higher fuel prices to start to get them considered. However, it does look like a candidate for retrofitting ...
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