The UK government, which will be hosting the UN Climate Conference (COP26) in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November, called on Monday for international shipping to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050. “As a maritime nation with a rich history, and host of COP26 this year, we are proud to be at the forefront of the greener era for maritime, charting an international course for the future of clean shipping,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement.
Shapps launched the ambitious global target, which would need to be agreed through the International Maritime Organization, ahead of the London International Shipping Week starting later in the day with a ministerial roundtable at the Foreign Office. On September 15, the transport minister will announce the winners of the multimillion-pound Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition launched as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution.
The UK government, which has committed to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, said that the shipping sector currently accounts for 3% of global emissions responsible for global warming.
