Global shipping: Linking policy and economics to biogeochemical cycling and air-sea interaction
Shipping is the most widely used medium for transport of goods internationally and will continue to increase. Although shipping is a carbon-efficient transport medium, there is an increasing focus on its broader environmental consequences. For a sustainable and equitable use of the oceans, as well as minimizing impacts of global change, a further development to sustainable shipping, or green shipping, is needed. Ship-building and operational standards are introduced and area-based instruments, such as emission control areas (ECAs), are established. However, lack of regulations, vague monitoring, unclear environmental impacts and economic uncertainty might cause problems for industry and society. In ShipTRASE, the environmental, economic and legal aspects of both near-term and long-term solutions to shipping emission reduction and control mechanisms will be analysed. The potential environmental impacts on the lower atmosphere and upper ocean include those from pollutant emission from ship smokestacks and liquid discharge, as well as increased methane-induced greenhouse warming. With our trans-disciplinary team (atmospheric sciences, chemical oceanography, international law, environmental economy and engineering), we will investigate how the use of scrubbers and alternative fuels impact the environment and feedback on economics and regulation. In addition, we will involve stakeholders in both Germany and Sweden (industry, local government, large scale regulation) to discuss these topics, share information and outcomes, and co-design further scientific research. The work involved will use various platforms: in-situ measurements, scrubber laboratory measurements, numerical modeling, cost-benefit analysis, and survey methodologies. ShipTRASE will deliver an economic and environmental consequence analysis of implementation of control areas. In addition, we will assess the impact of policy settings and legal regulation. A methodology for making such analysis is also one important outcome of the project.
Principal Investigator(s)
Anna Rutgersson, Uppsala University, Sweden
Partners
Christa Marandino, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany
Nele Matz-Lück, Kiel University, Germany
Laura Recuero Virto, Polytechnic School of Paris, and European Institute for Marine Studies (Brest), France
Kent Salo, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Sponsors
National Research Agency, France
Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany
Swedish Research Council for Env, Agric Sci & Spatial Planning, Sweden