International shipping faces a difficult passage to decarbonising its business model. About 90 per cent of worldwide trade is carried by sea, a method that remains entirely dependent on fossil fuels and accounts for nearly 3 per cent of global emissions. The International Maritime Organisation has issued the vague pledge to achieve its net-zero target “by or around” 2050; but it is doubtful that low-carbon alternative fuels will prove sufficiently plentiful or affordable to provide an alternative source of power. Nor can ships feasibly run on electricity. Against this bleak horizon, however, there are welcome signs that the tide may be turning: not for the first time in nautical history the humble sail might herald a sea change.
As reported in yesterday’s Times, an initiative
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