Can ammonia or wind propel carbon-free shipping?

In the race for decarbonization, the shipping industry faces major challenges. Fuel is cheap, almost half the price of gasoline. And, most ships last between 20-25 years, meaning that the turnover to cleaner shipping could take far longer than road transportation, where the average car is only 12 years old. 

But there is some wind in the sails of maritime decarbonization initiatives.

Maria Gallucci, a climate journalist with Canary Media, has spent the last 5 years investigating the challenges and opportunities of decreasing maritime emissions. She spoke with Climate Now about why it is so hard to decarbonize this sector, and the diversity of approaches that are being explored, with a focus on ammonia and wind-powered propulsion.

Chapters:
00:00 Maria's background
02:08 Why is shipping so hard to decarbonize?
05:43 How is shipping regulated?
08:20 What technologies and alternative fuels for shipping could replace fossil fuels?
11:08 Ammonia:
- 11:08 Pros and cons of ammonia for shipping
-14:25 What needs to happen to convert shipping to ammonia-powered?
-17:18 Addressing the challenges of ammonia
23:10 What startups are tackling shipping's emission problem?
25:25 Wind-powered propulsion in the shipping industry
28:12 Battery-electric shipping and carbon capture

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