From 2012 to 2018, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from total maritime transport (international, domestic and fisheries) rose from 977 million tonnes to 1,076 million tonnes, an increase of 9.6%, according to the latest study on GHG emissions by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which was published on Tuesday 4 August.
The predominant greenhouse gas by far is carbon dioxide (CO2), with 1,056 million tonnes of emissions, an increase of 9.3% over its 2012 level. Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) make up the remaining 20 million tonnes.
In addition, maritime transport was responsible for 2.89% of global anthropogenic emissions in 2018, compared to 2.76% in 2012, the study notes.
Another key fact: methane emissions from international shipping have increased by 150% over the past six years. According to the IMO, this is due to an increase in the consumption of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which in turn is driven by an increase in the number of LNG-powered ships, especially those with ‘dual-fuel’engines that have higher specific CH4 emissions.
Finally, while the IMO has set itself the objective of reducing total annual GHG emissions from maritime transport by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels, the study points out that, in the case of ‘business as usual’ scenarios, these emissions are in fact expected to increase by between 0% and 50% by 2050 compared to 2018 levels.
Much progress therefore remains to be made, particularly with regard to ships’ carbon intensity. Although the overall average carbon intensity for all international shipping improved by more than 20% between 2008 and 2018, more than half of these improvements were achieved before 2012.
According to the IMO, the pace of carbon intensity reduction has thus slowed down noticeably since 2015, with average annual variations of between 1 and 2%. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)