Highlights
- The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), expressed in CO2e – of total shipping (international, domestic and fishing) have increased from 977 million tonnes in 2012 to 1,076 million tonnes in 2018 (9.6% increase). In 2012, 962 million tonnes were CO2 emissions, while in 2018 this amount grew 9.3% to 1,056 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
- The share of shipping emissions in global anthropogenic emissions has increased from 2.76% in 2012 to 2.89% in 2018.
- Under a new voyage-based allocation of international shipping, CO2emissions have also increased over this same period from 701 million tonnes in 2012 to 740 million tonnes in 2018 (5.6% increase), but to a lower growth rate than total shipping emissions, and represent an approximately constant share of global CO2 emissions over this period (approximately 2%), as shown in table 1. Using the vessel-based allocation of international shipping taken from the Third IMO GHG Study, CO2 emissions have increased over the period from 848 million tonnes in 2012 to 919 million tonnes in 2018 (8.4% increase).
- Due to developments in data and inventory methods, this Study is the first IMO GHG Study able to produce greenhouse gas inventories that distinguish domestic shipping from international emissions on a voyage basis in a way which, according to the consortium, is exactly consistent with the IPCC guidelines and definitions.1
- Projecting the same method to 2008 emissions, this Study estimates that 2008 international shipping GHG emissions (in CO2e) were 794 million tonnes (employing the method used in the Third IMO GHG Study, the emissions were 940 million tonnes CO2e).
MEPC 75/7/15: Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships: Fourth IMO GHG Study 2020 – Final report