Partnerships and Solutions
Discover more from Smiling Tree Writing Learns about Climate Solutions
Partnerships and Solutions
Climate change mitigation is going to require competitors to become partners, and that's happening in some areas
Climate change is a complex problem, and solving it—or at least figuring out how humans can live through what is already inevitable—requires multiple solutions. The United Nations has mapped out a six-sector solution:
Buildings and Cities
Energy
Industry
Agriculture and food waste
Nature based solutions
Transportation
Within each sector, many subcategories exist. For example, transportation includes cars, which is what most people think of first, but also cargo ships, air traffic, trains, and the infrastructure necessary to support all of those. Similarly, the Energy sector includes power generation and the grid that moves the power around.
Some sectors and activities are considered hard-to-abate. Industries such as steel and cement use carbon as an integral part of the process, so new processes are necessary, along with new equipment—which is incredibly expensive.
Okay, this is not a cargo ship, but it’s a nice photo of the ocean.
Some progress
Maritime shipping is responsible for moving 90% of trade goods, and also 3% of global emissions. It is an industry that has specific challenges. Huge amounts of fuel are required, and since maritime shipping happens across international waters, there’s disagreement about who is responsible for the emissions.
AP Moller-Maersk operated just over 15% of the global shipping fleet in 2022, making it the second largest shipping company in the world. Maersk has pledged to reach net zero by 2040.
This month, Maersk and CMA CGM, a global logistics company, announced they will be working together to develop the use of alternative greener fuels to be used in shipping. Both companies have made strides individually, with CMA CGM using liquid natural gas (LNG) vessels that can also run on bio/e-methane and Maersk has orders for vessels that can run on bio/e-methanol. However, they are going to work to develop standards for alternative fuels, including the accounting of greenhouse gasses in the full life cycle, and set up a framework for the mass production of green methane and green methanol. They also plan to develop standards for the safe operation of these vessels and to make sure that ports around the world are able to supply the vessels. Further, they plan to work together to explore other, new alternative fuels, like ammonia, as well as innovative technology for the ships. Working together
I read about this new partnership and felt all happy about profit-driven companies doing the right thing. But the very next day, I read about how some utility companies are making it hard for people to use solar energy because they “fear the competition.” An article in the UK based publication Car Dealer Magazine outlines an anti-EV campaign that likely has similar roots.
Change is hard, but in this case, absolutely necessary if we wish for the planet to remain habitable for humans. Maersk and CMA CGM are setting a positive example in a difficult industry.
Cruise ships could be run on greener fuels, too.
Further reading:
https://www.maersk.com/all-the-way-to-zero/
https://shipandbunker.com/news/world/400140-maersk-sets-out-role-of-new-energy-transition-unit
https://www.maersk.com/news/articles/2023/06/13/maersk-secures-green-methanol
https://www.statista.com/topics/9607/ap-moeller---maersk-a-s/#topicOverview
https://shipandbunker.com/news/world/400140-maersk-sets-out-role-of-new-energy-transition-unit
https://maritime-executive.com/editorials/two-big-problems-are-in-the-way-of-decarbonizing-shipping
https://www.unep.org/interactive/six-sector-solution-climate-change/