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M-1C - Shipping

Shipping is a critical sub-sector of global transport, responsible for moving around 80% of world trade by volume and generating 1.7% of global CO₂-eq emissions. It is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through the use of heavy fuel oil in large vessels. Mitigating emissions in shipping involves improving energy efficiency through better ship design and operational practices, adopting alternative fuels such as ammonia, hydrogen, and biofuels, and integrating renewable energy technologies like wind assistance. Decarbonising shipping is particularly challenging due to the long lifespan of ships and the scale of infrastructure required for fuel transitions, but significant opportunities exist to reduce emissions through international cooperation, regulation, and technological advancements.

Mitigation Potential

TBD.

Mitigation Options

Chapter 10 (IPCC AR6 WG3 2022)1 discusses a number of mitigation options for the transport sector which are indexed in the table below. A small number of mitigations options only covered in Chapter 8 of the AR5 report (IPCC AR5 WG3 2014)2 are also included here for completeness.

Index Title Section(s) Sub-sector(s) TE(s)
M-1C.1 Alternative Fuels for Shipping AR6 10.6.4 T-1A4 - Waterborne T-1A4-1
T-1A4-3
T-1A4-4
M-1C.2 Electric Technologies for Shipping AR6 10.6.4 T-1A4 - Waterborne T-1A4-5
M-1C.3 Improved Energy Efficiency for Shipping AR6 10.6.4 T-1A4 - Waterborne T-1A4-2

Emissions

We estimate that the shipping sub-sector was accountable for 1.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions for 2020 (801 MtCO₂-eq, see GHG Emissions).

See E-1A3d - Water-borne Navigation for a summary of IPCC guidelines for emission reporting.

  1. IPCC AR6 WG3. 2022. Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Edited by Priyadarshi R. Shukla, Jim Skea, Raphael Slade, Alaa Al Khourdajie, Renée van Diemen, David McCollum, Minal Pathak, et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157926. ↩

  2. IPCC AR5 WG3. 2014. Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change: Working Group III Contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Edited by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Ottmar Edenhofer. Cambridge University Press. ↩

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