There is need to rapidly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to avoid runaway climate change. Over 2% of global emissions are produced from the marine shipping industry, roughly equivalent to those generated by Germany. This chapter examines the social and environmental impacts of the modern shipping industry and highlights more sustainable alternatives in the form of the emerging sail cargo industry that uses sailing vessels to reduce the environmental impacts of shipping within global supply chains. Sail cargo initiatives represent a more equitable, environmental, and just transition to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. These are well suited to achieve development goals in the Americas and Caribbean Region. Also, this chapter highlights theoretical tensions in various approaches to sustainable development solutions, including the Jevons paradox, where increases in energy efficiencies often lead to increases in overall energy use thus, presenting a challenge to policies that rely solely on technological improvements, as a principal means of reducing overall energy use.
Alternatives to Fossil Fuel-Based Shipping: An Overview of the Sail Cargo Industry
Implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals – reg. Perspectives
2023-09-01
24 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
Searching for fossil fuel alternatives
Automotive engineering | 2007
|Sail on Good Ship: Shipping Debate
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2005
Doe: From Coastal Sail to Global Shipping
Online Contents | 2010
|In-depth - Sail-assisted propulsion - Cargo ships sail into the 21st Century
Online Contents | 2010
Turkish Shipping Industry - An Overview
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1994
|