Description
Shipping is the backbone of international trade. With a contribution of more than 80 per cent of cargo by volume and 70 per cent by value, it is the most efficient mode of transportation. The vital cargo it transports includes medical supplies and equipment, as well as food, energy, raw materials, and manufactured goods. At the same time, shipping contributes to approximately 3 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, a figure that is expected to rise if no action is taken to reduce emissions. The 2023 International Maritime Organization Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions sets out a path for shipping to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions around 2050. Achieving this goal will be a phenomenal challenge, both in terms of the scale of the transition and in terms of its pace.
The maritime industry is standing at the outset of one of its greatest technological and operational revolutions, as it prepares to transition to a zero and low-emission industry through the adoption of technological innovations. It is a necessary step, as it has been unequivocally proven that the humanmade emissions of greenhouses have begun to change our climate and are already affecting our lives in a tangible manner. Recent years have shown a significant increase in the world’s surface temperatures, warming of the oceans, sea-level rise, and more frequent floods and fires.
Decarbonization is a global challenge, requiring ships and ports to coordinate their efforts to switch to clean sources of energy. Ports have a key role in global production. Connecting shipping and seaports to the hinterland. The global port and maritime industries facilitate up to 90 per cent of the global supply chain. For instance, in Europe, ports also play a pivotal role in terms of welfare and prosperity, and play a key role in the Blue Growth Agenda, which sets out to make Europe’s oceans, seas and coasts healthy and productive.
In the future, ports are likely to act as energy hubs, creating, receiving and distributing energy to the world and to the ships themselves. Meeting this need requires developing sustainable energy sources and appropriate financial mechanisms. Maritime decarbonization needs financial instruments, which most importantly need to take into consideration the needs of developing countries to ensure no one is left behind. Therefore, it is crucial that the selection of financial mechanisms to support the transition of the current and future needs of decarbonizing the maritime sector takes developing as well as developed countries into consideration.
The role of ports in climate change mitigation, through reducing greenhouse gas and particularly carbon emissions, has received significant attention from port authorities in recent years due to increased pressure to improve environmental credibility and relevant policies and regulations. The role of ports has evolved over time. Ports are no longer the maritime service providers of the past; they are multimodal transport and logistics centres, focal points of leisure and tourism, and increasingly also hubs for sustainable industry and clean energy.
Operational and technical measures are not one-size-fits-all, due to the different strategies adopted by ports, their pollution targets, operations and management, type of terminals and additional industry considerations, such as geography, economic conditions, and competitiveness. While port mitigation of climate change is justified, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency are key pillars of achieving green and sustainable ports. Various sustainability and green port studies have emphasized this fact.
Ports also serve as matchmakers, bringing together industries and serving as crossing points for all kinds of activities. They thus play a pivotal role in the global supply chain and in regional economies, positively contributing to greening of the maritime sector and encouraging activities and circular processes toward energy transition. Therefore, ports are important catalysts for greening initiatives, and are ideal places to develop circular economy initiatives. In this context, port energy transition and decarbonization are the core of this round table report. While it is argued that drivers and barriers to technological development exist, it is also apparent that there other policy and regulatory issues also hold back proper and widespread implementation. On another note, most of the studies that address this topic are based on technical reports and academic views with modest Involvement of ports. On this basis, and to cover these gaps, this report takes into account various stakeholders, including ports, and recognizes the power of stakeholders who may have interest in or conflict with port energy transition and decarbonization projects. This report, thus, presents the results of four roundtable discussions conducted to address contemporary issues in port energy transition, based on various stakeholder perspectives, with regard to technology, policy, business models, and global cooperation. This report is structured based on the sequence of these round tables, with the last two sections highlighting collective stakeholders’ views on port energy transition and providing conclusions.
DOI
10.21677/marener.20240305
ISBN
978-91-988968-2-4
Publication Date
2024
Publisher
World Maritime University
City
Malmö
Disciplines
Energy Policy | Sustainability