The International Maritime Organization is stepping up to help limit planet-warming air pollution with a new set of regulations designed to curb pollution from ships by the year 2040, Reuters reported.
In April, the new guidelines were set in place, scheduled to come into effect in 2028 if they are ratified later this year. By 2035, ship owners will have to reduce their heat-trapping air pollution by 30%, and by 2040, they need to hit 65%. Otherwise, they will need to pay hefty fines.
Shipping companies have options as to how to meet these goals. Using biofuel instead of traditional dirty energy can dramatically lessen a ship's impact on the environment. Liquid natural gas is a fossil fuel, but it is less polluting than some other forms and is a viable option. Ammonia is also being investigated as a potential fuel source because it does not produce carbon dioxide, one of the most common heat-trapping gases. Some vessels are being designed to use more than one type of fuel.
One interesting possibility is to fall back on older methods of propulsion and use wind power. As in the golden age of sail, merchants looking to ship their products across the sea could rely on sailing ships to do the job — though the modern versions would have fuel backups, advanced materials for their sails, and computer-aided navigation that would help them avoid being stranded without a breeze.
"We very much focused on finding the long-term solution, not the transition solution, and how we can leapfrog to that directly," Sara Edmonson, global advocacy lead for Australian mining giant Fortescue, said, per Reuters. Fortescue owns the 75-meter experimental ship called the Green Pioneer that's designed to run on ammonia.
As the industry seeks to pivot to follow the new guidelines, it is demonstrating that this isn't just about protecting the planet from pollution. It's also about money. Green solutions aren't just healthier for people and the world; they are also more cost-effective in the long run. Dirty energy gets more expensive all the time as fossil fuels get rarer and rarer, while renewable, clean energy gets cheaper every year as the technology improves.
These alternatives may seem unusual now, but at least one of them is the future of shipping.
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