Ship It Zero coalition members Stand.earth and Pacific Environment say Maersk’s decision to aim for net zero climate emissions by 2040 – 10 years earlier than its initial target date– is an ‘industry-leading commitment’ but they have expressed concern that the shipping giant’s 2030 goals rely on offsets.
Responding to Maersk’s announcement on its 2040 ambitions, the coalition said that the ‘more aggressive target’ proves that major cargo owners, such as Amazon, Target, Walmart and IKEA, ‘can also aim higher to both set and meet clean shipping goals this decade.’
In October, Amazon and IKEA, who both ship cargo with Maersk, committed to move their products off fossil fuel ships by 2040, joining companies including Unilever and Patagonia. Ship It Zero branded this commitment as ‘historic but too weak,’ as the coalition is demanding action on zero-emissions cargo shipping by the end of the 2020s.
‘Maersk increasing its climate target by a decade just four years after the company began its decarbonisation journey shows that a dramatically faster zero-emission timeline for the global shipping industry is possible,’ said Dawny’all Heydari, Campaign Lead for Ship It Zero, Pacific Environment.
Heydari continued: ‘Port-adjacent communities cannot be treated as the collateral damage of our economy any longer. Our global community must transition to 100% zero-emissions by 2030 if we are intent on averting climate catastrophe. We call on Maersk to demonstrate the bold leadership our world needs by committing to 100% zero-emissions ocean shipping this decade.’
Writing in the December 2021/January 2022 issue of Bunkerspot magazine, Pacific Environment's Dawny'all Heydari calls on the shippng industry to adopt emission reduction technologies - and speed up the transition away from fossil fuels.
