Tack to the future: is wind propulsion an ecomodernist or degrowth way to decarbonise maritime cargo transport?

This article explores the political economy of the re-uptake of wind propulsion for maritime cargo transport so as to shift this sector onto a decarbonization pathway. It focuses primarily on how wind propulsion technologies, both old and new, aim to close the ‘emissions gap’ between projected emissions and the target to reduce them, as set by the International Maritime Organization in 2018. In doing so, it questions whether and how wind propulsion technologies could help attain ‘absolute decoupling’ of GHG emissions from industry growth, resulting from growing demand for shipping. It concludes that wind propulsion can help decarbonize the industry. But there is lack of certainty regarding the possibility to (a) deploy zero-emission technology at scale and (b) the extent to which reducing demand for shipping activity may suffice to attain full decarbonization. This article argues that a combination of both technological innovation and reduced demand is crucial to developing a decarbonization pathway for the shipping industry to meet Paris Agreement commitments at scale and in time.Key policy insights Wind propulsion can contribute to a decarbonization pathway for the shipping industryThis technology can be pursued from both ‘ecomodernist’ and ‘degrowth’ perspectivesIt is unlikely that either technological innovation or reduced demand alone will bring down shipping emissions to net-zero quickly enough, thus a combination of both may need to be considered to meet emissions reductions targets