IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v170y2022ics030142152200458x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reducing the carbon intensity of international shipping – The impact of energy efficiency measures

Author

Listed:
  • Sou, Weng Sut
  • Goh, Tian
  • Lee, Xin Ni
  • Ng, Szu Hui
  • Chai, Kah-Hin

Abstract

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has set a target to reduce the carbon intensity of shipping, or CO2 emissions per transport work, by at least 40% by 2030 from 2008 levels. While short-term measures which focus on improving energy efficiency have been implemented, their impact on carbon intensity trends of international shipping over time has not been quantified. This study quantifies and attributes the contribution of various driving factors to the overall change in carbon intensity of international shipping by ship type. The carbon intensity changes of each ship type are quantitatively linked to the overall carbon intensity target of the IMO. The study results highlight that reductions in carbon intensity at the ship-type and global level have been largely a result of decreases in energy intensity from 2012 to 2018 but reductions became smaller in the later period (2015–2018), underscoring the limits to energy efficiency measures. Furthermore, this study highlights the additional insights that can be drawn on the transport mode and freight activity profiles from the joint analysis of demand and supply-side indicators, revealing not only the changes in freight activity and capacity utilization, but also the shifts in capacity miles travelled for different shipping modes.

Suggested Citation

  • Sou, Weng Sut & Goh, Tian & Lee, Xin Ni & Ng, Szu Hui & Chai, Kah-Hin, 2022. "Reducing the carbon intensity of international shipping – The impact of energy efficiency measures," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:170:y:2022:i:c:s030142152200458x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113239
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030142152200458X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113239?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrés, Lidia & Padilla, Emilio, 2015. "Energy intensity in road freight transport of heavy goods vehicles in Spain," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 309-321.
    2. Goh, Tian & Zhong, Sheng & Ang, B.W. & Su, Bin & Ng, Szu Hui & Chai, Kah-Hin, 2021. "Driving factors of changes in international maritime energy consumption: Microdata evidence 2014–2017," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    3. Ang, B.W. & Su, Bin, 2016. "Carbon emission intensity in electricity production: A global analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 56-63.
    4. Achour, Houda & Belloumi, Mounir, 2016. "Decomposing the influencing factors of energy consumption in Tunisian transportation sector using the LMDI method," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 64-71.
    5. Kamakaté, Fatumata & Schipper, Lee, 2009. "Trends in truck freight energy use and carbon emissions in selected OECD countries from 1973 to 2005," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 3743-3751, October.
    6. Ang, B.W., 2015. "LMDI decomposition approach: A guide for implementation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 233-238.
    7. Li, Fangyi & Cai, Bofeng & Ye, Zhaoyang & Wang, Zheng & Zhang, Wei & Zhou, Pan & Chen, Jian, 2019. "Changing patterns and determinants of transportation carbon emissions in Chinese cities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 562-575.
    8. Lindstad, Elizabeth & Rehn, Carl Fredrik & Eskeland, Gunnar S., 2017. "Sulphur Abatement Globally in Maritime Shipping," Discussion Papers 2017/8, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science.
    9. Ang, B.W. & Xu, X.Y., 2013. "Tracking industrial energy efficiency trends using index decomposition analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1014-1021.
    10. Hualong Yang & Xuefei Ma, 2019. "Uncovering CO 2 Emissions Patterns from China-Oriented International Maritime Transport: Decomposition and Decoupling Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-19, May.
    11. Sorrell, Steve & Lehtonen, Markku & Stapleton, Lee & Pujol, Javier & Champion, Toby, 2009. "Decomposing road freight energy use in the United Kingdom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 3115-3129, August.
    12. Xu, X.Y. & Ang, B.W., 2013. "Index decomposition analysis applied to CO2 emission studies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 313-329.
    13. Goh, Tian & Ang, B.W. & Su, Bin & Wang, H., 2018. "Drivers of stagnating global carbon intensity of electricity and the way forward," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 149-156.
    14. Robert W. R. Parker & Julia L. Blanchard & Caleb Gardner & Bridget S. Green & Klaas Hartmann & Peter H. Tyedmers & Reg A. Watson, 2018. "Fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions of world fisheries," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 333-337, April.
    15. Wang, H. & Ang, B.W. & Su, Bin, 2017. "Assessing drivers of economy-wide energy use and emissions: IDA versus SDA," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 585-599.
    16. Halff, Antoine & Younes, Lara & Boersma, Tim, 2019. "The likely implications of the new IMO standards on the shipping industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 277-286.
    17. Shiyi Chen, 2011. "The Abatement of Carbon Dioxide Intensity in China: Factors Decomposition and Policy Implications," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34, pages 1148-1167, July.
    18. Huang, Fei & Zhou, Dequn & Wang, Qunwei & Hang, Ye, 2019. "Decomposition and attribution analysis of the transport sector’s carbon dioxide intensity change in China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 343-358.
    19. Fan, Ying & Liu, Lan-Cui & Wu, Gang & Tsai, Hsien-Tang & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2007. "Changes in carbon intensity in China: Empirical findings from 1980-2003," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(3-4), pages 683-691, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Livia Rauca & Ghiorghe Batrinca, 2023. "Impact of Carbon Intensity Indicator on the Vessels’ Operation and Analysis of Onboard Operational Measures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-14, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Goh, Tian & Zhong, Sheng & Ang, B.W. & Su, Bin & Ng, Szu Hui & Chai, Kah-Hin, 2021. "Driving factors of changes in international maritime energy consumption: Microdata evidence 2014–2017," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    2. Su, Bin & Ang, B.W., 2020. "Demand contributors and driving factors of Singapore’s aggregate carbon intensities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    3. Juan David Rivera-Niquepa & Daniela Rojas-Lozano & Paulo M. De Oliveira-De Jesus & Jose M. Yusta, 2022. "Decomposition Analysis of the Aggregate Carbon Intensity (ACI) of the Power Sector in Colombia—A Multi-Temporal Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-18, October.
    4. Yang, Xue & Su, Bin, 2019. "Impacts of international export on global and regional carbon intensity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C), pages 1-1.
    5. Liu, Xiao & Hang, Ye & Wang, Qunwei & Chiu, Ching-Ren & Zhou, Dequn, 2022. "The role of energy consumption in global carbon intensity change: A meta-frontier-based production-theoretical decomposition analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    6. Wang, Zhenguo & Su, Bin & Xie, Rui & Long, Haiyu, 2020. "China’s aggregate embodied CO2 emission intensity from 2007 to 2012: A multi-region multiplicative structural decomposition analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    7. Wang, Hui & Li, Rupeng & Zhang, Ning & Zhou, Peng & Wang, Qiang, 2020. "Assessing the role of technology in global manufacturing energy intensity change: A production-theoretical decomposition analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    8. Rodrigues, João F.D. & Wang, Juan & Behrens, Paul & de Boer, Paul, 2020. "Drivers of CO2 emissions from electricity generation in the European Union 2000–2015," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    9. Liu, Nan & Ma, Zujun & Kang, Jidong & Su, Bin, 2019. "A multi-region multi-sector decomposition and attribution analysis of aggregate carbon intensity in China from 2000 to 2015," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 410-421.
    10. Goh, Tian & Ang, B.W. & Xu, X.Y., 2018. "Quantifying drivers of CO2 emissions from electricity generation – Current practices and future extensions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 1191-1204.
    11. Li, Aijun & Zhou, Dinglin & Chen, Guoshi & Liu, Yuhao & Long, Yan, 2020. "Multi-region comparisons of energy-related CO2 emissions and production water use during energy development in northwestern China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 940-961.
    12. Wang, Yaxian & Zhao, Zhenli & Wang, Wenju & Streimikiene, Dalia & Balezentis, Tomas, 2023. "Interplay of multiple factors behind decarbonisation of thermal electricity generation: A novel decomposition model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    13. Liu, Nan & Ma, Zujun & Kang, Jidong, 2017. "A regional analysis of carbon intensities of electricity generation in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 268-277.
    14. Wang, Miao & Feng, Chao, 2017. "Decomposition of energy-related CO2 emissions in China: An empirical analysis based on provincial panel data of three sectors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 772-787.
    15. Wang, H. & Zhou, P., 2018. "Assessing Global CO2 Emission Inequality From Consumption Perspective: An Index Decomposition Analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 257-271.
    16. Zhu, Bangzhu & Su, Bin & Li, Yingzhu & Ng, Tsan Sheng, 2020. "Embodied energy and intensity in China’s (normal and processing) exports and their driving forces, 2005-2015," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    17. Román-Collado, Rocío & Colinet, María José, 2018. "Are labour productivity and residential living standards drivers of the energy consumption changes?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 746-756.
    18. Ang, B.W. & Goh, Tian, 2019. "Index decomposition analysis for comparing emission scenarios: Applications and challenges," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 74-87.
    19. Tian, Kailan & Dietzenbacher, Erik & Yan, Bingqian & Duan, Yuwan, 2020. "Upgrading or downgrading: China's regional carbon emission intensity evolution and its determinants," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    20. Banie Naser Outchiri, 2020. "Contributing to better energy and environmental analyses: how accurate are decomposition analysis results?," Cahiers de recherche 20-11, Departement d'économique de l'École de gestion à l'Université de Sherbrooke.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:170:y:2022:i:c:s030142152200458x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.