Maritime CO2 emissions are double those of aviation
Shipping CO2 emissions are double those of the aviation sector according to ...
Jonathan M. Gitlin
Possibly thanks to Al Gore and some tap-dancing aquatic birds, more and more people are coming round to the conclusion that anthropogenic climate change is real and happening. Even the US Congress, who in the past had displayed a recalcitrant attitude towards the problem, are coming to the realization that our environment is in a state of flux, and that we are responsible
Although carbon emissions from cars are the most commonly-identified culprits, air travel has come under criticism recently because of where the CO2 is released and also because aviation fuel is exempt from taxation. Now, new data from the oil giant BP and the Institute for Physics and Atmosphere in Wessling, Germany, suggests that maritime emissions are at least double that of the aviation sector. Aircraft are responsible for about two percent of CO2 emissions, whereas ships contribute around four percent, and that figure may grow by 75 percent in the next two decades.
Most global trade is transported by ship, and the sea lanes are getting busier:
Donald Gregory, director of environment at BP Marine, said this week that BP estimates that the global fleet of 70,000 ships uses approximately 200 million tonnes of fuel a year and this is expected to grow to 350 million tonnes a year by 2020. "We estimate carbon dioxide emissions from shipping to be 4% of the global total. Ships are getting bigger and every shipyard in the world has a full order book. There are about 20,000 new ships on order" he said.
Whereas car emissions are controlled to some extent by limits mandated by the European Commission in Europe and CARB in the US, no such controls exist for maritime emissions. There are proposals to deal with the problem, however. A German company, SkySails, is developing a high-tech kite that can be used to assist ships by harnessing wind power at 500 m above sea level, where winds are more stable. Although the return of sailing ships is some way off, with rising oil prices the opportunity to catch a free ride will surely be taken advantage of.
Jonathan is the automotive editor at Ars Technica, covering all things car-related. Jonathan lives and works in Washington, D.C. Email 
Twitter @drgitlin