Decarbonization and sustainable development goal 13: a reflection of the maritime sector

ABSTRACT Fossil fuel as the beacon of industrialization emits carbon dioxide more than any other source of energy. Carbon dioxide emission among other Green House Gases is the dominant gas responsible for global warming and damaging impact of climate change. Given the enormity of the impact of climate change, the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of which ‘goal 13ʹ was a call for climate action to mitigate the drastic effect of climate change by reducing global warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels or 1.5°C by 2030. Shipping in the maritime sector accounts for over 80% of the global trade and hugely dependent on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and emits about 2.7% of the global carbon dioxide. Against this backdrop, the concern of this study is, therefore, to ascertain the level of progress in global decarbonization for sustainable development focusing on international shipping in the maritime sector. The documentary method of research was adopted for the study while Win-Win Solution served as the conceptual framework. The study analyzed the efforts to decarbonize the shipping industry and determine if the maritime sector will likely achieve green shipping target by 2030.