Dr Tristan Smith comments on shipping giant Maersk's 2050 carbon neutral pledge
12 December 2018
Writing for online magazine Splash, UCL Energy Institute's Dr Tristan Smith explains why he thinks the Danish shipping giant is now aiming to go carbon-neutral.
AP Moller Maersk is the world's largest container shipping company, so its recent announcement ()that it would cut its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050 is a“major step forward” for the industry, according toDr Tristan Smith of the UCL Energy Insitute's shipping research group.
However, in his , Dr Smithalso highlights that the move is unlikely to be altruistic, since “Swathes of companies that use shipping ... increasingly demand zero GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions from their suppliers”. It could simplybe that thecompany isbasingits decision on theinevitable outcome of the 's emissiontarget for 2050 (to cut the shipping sector's overall CO2 output by 50%)and is trying to get ahead of its competitors.
While welcoming the announcement as an “unambiguous signal ... that the future is zero emissions”, Dr Smith also highlights therisk that Maersk is “leaving open the option to use biofuels to reach these targets”, with all their inherent supply and sustainability challenges.
More information
- Find out more about shipping research at the UCL Energy Institute
- See Dr Tristan's Smith's academic profile
- Splash magazine () ispublished by Singapore headquartered Asia Shipping Media (ASM)