By AFP - Agence France Presse
Maritime transport needs to speed up decarbonization: EU agency
The level of emissions from shipping is too high, a European Union watchdog said on Tuesday, imploring the industry to take steps to accelerate efforts to decarbonize the sector.
According to a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA), methane emissions from shipping “at least doubled” between 2018 and 2023, as a result of increased transportation demand.
The EEA said that the entire sector was responsible for three to four percent of the EU's overall CO2 emissions, adding that this is a “share that needs to decrease”.
“The report reflects the urgent need for the shipping industry to increase its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and other environmental impacts, such as water pollution,” said EEA executive director Leena Yla-Mononen in a statement.
While noting that maritime transport is crucial to the European economy, the report pointed to several harmful consequences for humans and the environment, in addition to the release of greenhouse gases - such as water pollution, as well as underwater noise and litter.
In 2022, CO2 emissions from maritime transport totaled 137.5 million tons, a level similar to before the Covid-19 pandemic and 8.5% higher than in 2021.
In addition, between 2015 and 2023, nitrogen oxide emissions increased by around 10% on average across the EU - with certain areas showing particularly pronounced increases, such as 33% in the Atlantic and 32% in the Arctic.
Another source of pollution is oil spills - which occur mainly in the most navigated areas of the North Sea and the Mediterranean - and the discharge of wastewater and plastics from ships.
The report noted that marine litter from fishing and shipping has been halved in the last ten years, but warned that it remains difficult to monitor.
Yla-Mononen emphasized the need to “accelerate efforts to switch to cleaner fuels and sustainable port and shipping practices to reduce their impact on marine and coastal ecosystems”.
Globally, only 3.3% of the world's gross tonnage is transported with alternative fuels and batteries, pointed out the EEA, which noted that the availability of biofuels is affected by competition from various sectors.
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