Green Shipping Corridors

A Pathway to Zero-Emission Shipping

Getting to zero-carbon shipping is complicated. The shipping industry is a significant and rising source of global greenhouse gas emissions, generating over a gigatonne of CO2 equivalent emissions each year. Without the sector’s full scale decarbonization by 2040, fulfilling the goals of the Paris Agreement and limiting warming to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels or reaching economy wide targets of net-zero by 2050 will be impossible.

Yet the long operational lifespans of ships means that 2040 is just one lifetime away— the next generation fleet needed to achieve global climate goals is being designed and built now. The Global Maritime Forum (GMF) and other experts argue that if zero-emission fuels can make up 5 percent of the global shipping fuel mix by 2030, the goals of the Paris Agreement will be in reach.

Green shipping corridors are maritime routes between one or more ports which enable the testing and uptake of zero-emission lifecycle fuels and technologies with the ambition to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain of the corridor in support of an equitable sector-wide decarbonization no later than 2040. Read our report to learn more about green shipping corridors.