The World Bank says there are three good reasons why maritime transport must act on climate change. Skeptics who remark shipping only contributes 3% towards global warming should remember if we all did nothing, nothing would happen. Besides, the 3% could become 17% when other initiatives kick in. Moreover, powering large container ships with batteries is becoming feasible with recent improvements.
3 Reasons for Powering Large Container Ships with Batteries
We append a link to The World Bank blog post. In summary form:
- The demand for maritime freight is soaring. The current contribution of 3% would make it the 6th worst global warming contributor if it were a country. If business continues as usual, than maritime shipping’s emissions could conservatively increase by at least 50% by 2050.
- There’s also the concept of fairness. Why should we exclude shipping when road transport and aviation are coming to the party? Besides, from a political standpoint we have to hold all major emitters accountable, The World Bank adds.
- We also stand at the door of opportunity. The European Parliament voted in favor of including shipping in its EU Emissions Trading System from 2023 onward, unless the International Maritime Organization comes up with an equivalent proposal. The momentum is building to create a greener future!
Fair Enough. But How Would We Achieve This in Practice?
Offshore Energy believes there is potential to power large container ships with batteries. That’s because improvements in their design would allow big container ships to take 3,000-mile journeys. Moreover, battery costs are on a downward trajectory, while oil prices are rising.
But the clincher, surely, is the imperative to something about global warming urgently. Batteries are more energy-efficient that other green fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, Offshore Energy assures us. We simply need to, and must make this happen!
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