Shipping has largely relied on one fuel. It now needs many: Sparklines

International shipping is a classic ‘hard to abate’ sector. Container ships, bulk carriers of ore, fuel, and grain, and large passenger vehicles are expensive to build, last for decades, and have gained efficiency historically by becoming bigger. More than 95% of today’s ships run on petroleum products, fueling diesel engines which have been optimized for their specific purposes. They ship about 90% of global trade.

While emissions in the global power sector may be close to peaking, international shipping emissions show no signs of doing the same. According to the International Energy Agency, shipping emissions have risen by nearly one-third this century.