Ships calling at EU and European Economic Area ports in 2018 emitted around 140 million tonnes of CO2. Photo: © GreenOak / Shutterstock.com

Environmental impacts of shipping analysed

On 31 August, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) jointly launched the “European Maritime Transport Environment Report”, which among other things shows that ships calling at EU and European Economic Area ports in 2018 emitted around 140 million tonnes of CO₂. Around 40 per cent of these emissions came from voyages between ports of EU member states and while the ships were at berth. the remaining 60 per cent emanated from voyages into and out of the EU.

Air pollutant emissions from ships calling at EU and European Economic Area ports in 2019 amounted to 1.63 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide (SO₂), 4.46 million tonnes of nitrogen oxides (NOx), and 270,000 tonnes of PM_2.5.

The report also looks at issues such as underwater noise, introduction of non-indigenous species, and pollution of the marine environment. Finally, it assesses the current state of emerging maritime transport sustainability solutions, including alternative fuels, batteries and onshore power supply.

Source: EEA press release, 19 August 2021. The report: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/maritime-transport/

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Main menu

Environmental impacts of shipping analysed

In this issue

Call to protect the cloud forests

Editorial: GHG emissions must be halved by 2030

Symbolic CO2 threshold crossed

Energy targets need to be bolder

Emission limits still breached

Material recovery opportunities from the clean energy sector

Toxic threat from wood burning

Norway’s future without oil

Norway’s oil and gas market grows – NGOs call for phase-out

Paying farmers for carbon

The rise of floating solar photovoltaic farms

New EU farm policy supports business as usual

Towards climate-friendly food production

12 mega oil and gas projects to wreck 1.5°C chances

No future for nuclear power

In Breif

EU Zero Pollution Action Plan

New European city air quality viewer

1.5°C to survive – Evidence from the IPCC Special Reports

Climate toolkit for Russian municipalties

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

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