EPA: Global Shipping Industry Faces Serious Climate Risks
Rising global temperatures are putting the shipping industry and most of the world's ports at risk of greater disruption, and increasingly threatens to carry 80 percent of trade, according to a new analysis released Monday by the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. Cargo sea route.
The report points out that larger water areas and more powerful tropical storms are the most dangerous events. While little research has been done on the impact of climate change on the shipping industry, catastrophic events in recent years have raised concerns, the report said. For example, in 2003, Typhoon "Mingchan" closed the port of Busan, South Korea for 91 days; in 2011, Hurricane "IELTS" caused damages to the Port of Brisbane, Australia, with US$52 million, and affected the port's operations for 10 days; In 2019, Typhoon "Likima" closed the port of Wenzhou in China for 45 days and caused losses of US$65 million. Meanwhile, storms have repeatedly cost U.S. ports hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars over the past 15 years.
Wind speeds, rainfall and wave heights will all increase with greenhouse gas concentrations, and the damage from future storms could be several times the current estimated $3 billion a year in damages at ports, the report predicts.
The report also said the issue is a growing concern for owners of large fleets, as the shipping industry accounts for around 20% of global transport carbon emissions. Cargo ships still tend to use oil, which produces high CO2 emissions, an important hurdle for fleet owners trying to help the world achieve zero emissions by mid-century, but recently the world's largest shipping company AP Mu Le Maersk is leading the change, saying it will work with six energy companies to rapidly increase demand and production of methanol, the clean fuel.
"Through the emissions of these greenhouse gases, the shipping industry is contributing to global climate change that will ultimately damage (the shipping industry) itself," the report said.
