UK lays out emissions plan at dercarbonisation conference

Speaking at a conference on decarbonisation in shipping in London, the UK’s shipping minister Nusrat Ghani said "the shift to clean shipping presents significant opportunities for economic growth" to the UK.

In the UK’s Clean Maritime Plan published last year, the Minister said the UK was committed to ensuring zero emissions in shipping by 2050 and reiterated that decarbonisation was "a top priority" for the current government.

The Minister said a study has been commissioned to identify potential zero emissions shipping clusters across the UK. The study will identify areas with the potential to act as supply or demand hubs for low or zero emissions propulsion options. This is a step towards implementing the Maritime Plan’s goals.

In November 2020, the UK will host COP 26 in Glasgow which will focus on reducing emissions worldwide. Acknowledging this, the Minister said "we have a huge agenda ahead of us," and stated that the UK will consult on the wider use of emission control areas.

In addition, the UK will hold its first green finance for maritime conference, a new clean maritime awards for emissions reduction and launch its Maritime Emissions Regulation Advisory Service (MERAS). MERAS aims to provide support to innovators offering zero emissions propulsion technology in the regulatory stage.

Other speakers at the event included representatives from the Environmental Defence Fund. A representative said by 2030, newbuilds will need to be zero-carbon and said the shipping industry’s plan for a US$5Bn environmental R&D fund would not be sufficient to decarbonise the sector, as IMO’s 50% cut in emissions by 2050 compared to 2008 levels fell short of what was required.

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