The 28th Climate Conference opened on Thursday, November 30 for twelve days in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with a record number of nearly 80,000 participants. Every evening, “A day at the COP” summarizes the essential news, announcements and reactions of the day. The newspaper also meets its multiple actors in images. The transport theme was on the program. And for one of the senior managers of Maersk, the world’s second largest maritime freight carrier, “ consumption is a big part of the problem » ecological, he conceded to our microphone.
THE ESSENTIAL
♦ Within the COP, it is time for a mid-term review. In a first draft of the declaration – there could be several more before the end – all options are still on the table regarding the hot topic of this COP, fossil fuels, from unconditional exit to no mention in the text. Which leaves fear of a lot of work for the negotiators who will be joined by their ministers until December 12. The head of the UN climate is increasing the pressure this afternoon. As the negotiations entered their second and final week of negotiations, Simon Stiell spoke at a press conference: “ We have a starting text on the table, but it’s a bag of wishes full of posturing “, he observed. “ The Global Stocktake is the vehicle to put climate action on track […] We need the COP to deliver a high-speed train to accelerate climate action […] We currently have an old caboose driving on rickety tracks. » For his part, the European Commissioner responsible for Climate “ want this COP to mark the beginning of the end for fossil fuels », declared the European commissioner in charge of this file, who has just arrived in Dubai.
♦ We are also reacting on the civil society side. “ We see a certain number of oil and gas producing countries, Saudi Arabia, Russia, expressing strong reluctance to an agreement on this. It is not impossible to see an agreement next week but we can expect tense negotiations », Anticipates Romain Ioualalen, climate policy specialist at Oil Change International. No specific release date is mentioned in the options, one simply suggests that it would be around mid-century. “ It is a problem, because we know that it must be in 2050 last carat. The longer we wait to initiate a just and orderly transition away from fossil fuels, the more difficult and costly this transition will be. The other problem is that there is no differentiation provided between countries. However, we cannot ask Vanuatu or Malawi to exit at the same speed as Canada or the United States. »
♦ Denmark calls on the EU to reduce its emissions by 90% by 2040. “ We are the first country to announce that the EU must reduce its CO2 emissions by at least 90% by 2040! “, declared Lars Aagaard, Danish Minister of Climate. “ We hope other countries will join us “, he added. In April, the Twenty-Seven endorsed the decision to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Kerry and Putin 1h30 apart
John Kerry was not there by chance. While Vladimir Putin had just landed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, a brief stopover before neighboring Saudi Arabia, Joe Biden’s special envoy for the climate improvised a visit to the Ukrainian pavilion at Expo City in Dubai, separated by less than 150 km. The gesture of symbolic support is obvious, even though the American aid expected by kyiv is currently uncertain and must be put to a vote in Congress.
The former American vice-president, who has been negotiating the interests of the United States in the climate transition for a week, stopped for a few moments in front of the roof of a house imported from Ukraine and exhibited inside the pavilion . Oleksii, COP Riabchyn negotiator who welcomed the American, explains this symbol to us: “ This house had survived two world wars, but not Russian aggression. This year we have a pavilion full of water, reminiscent of the gigantic man-made disaster of the Kakhovka Dam. It puts us on the same level as the floods in Pakistan which are also the result of human activities. Climate change kills, Russia kills. » Six months ago to the day, the building, located upstream of the Dnieper, was gutted by an explosion. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for what can be described as a triple crime, war, against humanity and against the environment. “ This is my eighth COP and I can tell you how difficult it is to negotiate on climate when your wife and children are under bombs. You wonder what you’re doing here. We do climate diplomacy and we fight for our children, our grandchildren and for the environmental recovery of Ukraine », concludes the Ukrainian negotiator.
THREE QUESTIONS TO…
Morten Christiansen, vice-president in charge of energy transition at Moller-Maersk.
“ Consumption is a big part of the problem » ecological
Like the air sector, international maritime freight transport is extremely polluting and does not escape transformation injunctions, even if, in proportion to the material transported, it is the most economical and most ” ecological”. It accounts for 80% of goods traded around the world. The quantity of CO2 decreased by almost a third between 2008 and 2019 thanks to fleet modernization. Except that freight capacity has increased dramatically at the same time. After prosperous years due to Covid-19, the Danish Maersk, the world’s second largest carrier, suffers like its competitors a boomerang effect. One of his senior officials gave us a brief interview.
The maritime freight sector is experiencing a period of economic turbulence. How do you plan to decarbonize your activities in this context?
The shipping industry is moving to meet this challenge. We are a big part of the problem. The sector accounts for almost 3% of global emissions and we clearly need to do something. Like aviation, it is not affected by the Paris Agreement because it does not fall under the jurisdiction of a single country. But on the other hand, we are under the IMO, which depends on the UN. The main players are in any case committed to taking action.
The solutions for maritime transport are first of all to make boats consume less. But the main challenge is to move away from fossil fuels, either by using electricity or biomass. This is the most advanced technology. We can use biodiesel, but it is limited in volume, biomethane and methanol, and it is the latter route that we have chosen. In the future, we will most likely be able to sail on ammonia, which is actually the most adaptable fuel on a large scale, but it also poses safety and environmental questions because it is toxic.
How much would this cost Maersk?
Every year, our company burns ten million tons of fuel oil and last year our fuel bill was eight billion dollars. But these technologies are all very expensive at the moment, you double or triple your fuel bill. We would quickly be in ruins! And for a very competitive industry, with very low margins, this is very difficult. This is why we need a regulatory framework that can encourage the use of green fuels. They are not available today, the structures still have to be built, which requires investments. And then biomass is in high demand by other sectors, aviation, road, and the chemical industry. The same goes for methanol.
We have ordered around 25 boats that run on bioethanol. A few weeks ago, we secured the first half a million tonnes of biomethane which can fill the tanks of more than twelve boats, therefore more than half of the fleet. We are making progress.
What position do you adopt on the exit from fossil fuels, which is at the center of these negotiations?
If we talk about political negotiations, I stay out of it. But yes, there are alternatives to fossil fuels. To say that there won’t be enough green fuels, I don’t agree with that. If there is demand, there will be projects. So it’s an excuse to do nothing at all.
But we come here as an industrial player and the objective is to have a regulatory framework under the authority of the International Maritime Organization (1). And it can also be an inspiration for other sectors where reducing emissions is more difficult to achieve.
Are you in favor of an international tax on the maritime sector?
Yes, simply it would not be a tax because only countries can raise taxes. We believe that the most economical and effective way would be to have a levy on fossil fuels of 10% in 2030 and use part of it to subsidize green fuels. Because even with relatively low fees, you can create a level playing field. And the more the share of green fuels increases, the more this levy increases. So the priority is to have this regulatory framework which can both put in place a 10% green fuel obligation in 2030 and a levy on fossil fuels which can finance ecological fuels.
Your economic model is based on consumption. The more goods you transport, the more profit you make. But a sustainable planet will require less consumption and more sobriety, these are also the IPCC experts who say this. Are you calling for consuming less as a sustainable solution?
It’s difficult for us, the industry, to say what people should consume. Shippers are our customers, we serve our customers. On the concept of consumption in general, I can have an opinion as a private person but…
Exactly, what is it?
We will not solve this problem if we do not activate all the levers that exist. So yes, I think it’s right to also look at how we consume and why in Europe everyone feels the need to have five TVs and two cars. This is obviously part of the solution. But we have to look at this problem from all sides, and clearly, consumption is an important part of it.
1.On the first day of the COP, five of the world’s largest shipping companies along with France, South Korea and Denmark adopted a joint declaration to promote the adoption of “a robust regulatory framework” by 2027 promoting the ecological transition of the sector.
They promise to reduce the total emissions of their fleet by 30% by 2030 compared to 2008 compared to 20% requested by the IMO. A reduction in net emissions to zero must be achieved “ by 2050 at the latest “. The coalition also defends the implementation of “ construction standards for new ships “. Carriers are considering agreeing on a date beyond which it would be mandatory for all new ships to be powered by zero or near-zero emissions fuel. Currently, almost 99% of the world fleet is powered by heavy fuel oil.