Shipping could raise ambition of 2030 climate target, study shows

(Climate Home News, 11 Feb 2020) International shipping could scale up goals for decarbonisation in coming years since the sector’s climate target for 2030 was already three-quarters met when it was set two years ago, a study showed.

A study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), an independent research group, found that CO2 intensity of international shipping had already been reduced by 30% from 2008 levels in 2018.

That year, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) set a 40% reduction target by 2030.

The paper’s authors suggested widespread “slow-steaming” – a practice that reduces ship’s operational speed and fuel use by not using the engine at full power – was behind the drop in CO2 intensity.

Overcapacity in ship transport supply has caused ship speed to drop by 20% between 2008 and 2015, according to the ICCT.

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Climate Home News, 11 Feb 2020: Shipping could raise ambition of 2030 climate target, study shows