Norwegian shipowners joined the shipping industry in the path towards decarbonization by announcing their goal for the entire Norwegian fleet to be climate neutral by 2050.
Specifically, the Norwegian Shipowners Association commented that “if we are to succeed in curbing its effects, we must act quickly,” referring to the Paris Agreement and the aim of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has given us ten years to halve greenhouse gas emissions, and maintains that they must drop to zero by 2050,
… the Association noted.
Playing its part in this goal, the Association along with the Norwegian Shipping companies announced four ambitious goals, which state that:
- Members will cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% per transported unit by 2030, compared to 2008.
- From 2030, Norwegian Shipowners’ Association members will only order vessels with zero emission technology.
- From 2050, the Norwegian fleet will be climate neutral.
- The strategy also entails an international ban from 2050 on fuel types that are not climate neutral.
Harald Solberg, CEO of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association stated that
We have high ambitions, even in areas that today do not have commercially available technological solutions … This means that the entire industry, in collaboration with the authorities, both nationally and internationally, must engage in developing new solutions.
Overall, Norwegian shipping sees many business opportunities arising in taking leadership in the development of innovative technology that the maritime industry and the world need, while also will play its role in mitigating global warming and its impact on the environment and the industry.
Solberg concluded that “We need new technology and new sustainable solutions, and development must happen quickly. We can meet global climate targets while generating business opportunities . We have already accomplished a great deal, and now we want to do even more.”
To learn more about Norway’s plan, click herebelow
