The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has released the final report of the Fourth IMO Greenhouse Gas Study. Prepared by a global consortium, including researchers from The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from maritime shipping were found to have risen ~10% from 2012 to 2018. Short-lived climate pollutants, also known as climate super pollutants, increased most markedly, including a 12% increase in black carbon emissions and a 150% increase in methane emissions, which has been attributed to a surge in the number of ships fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Unburned methane escapes into the atmosphere, and the need to include methane in future phases of the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) regulations is clear.
Currently, only CO2 emissions are limited under the EEDI.