- IMO’s green fuel plan may backfire, increasing GHG emissions by 270 million tonnes in 2030.
- Palm and soy biofuels, linked to deforestation and food shortages, could power 60% of shipping.
- Experts urge IMO to rethink biofuel policy and promote sustainable e-fuels instead.
A new Transport & Environment (T&E) study warns that the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s proposed biofuel strategy could do more harm than good. By 2030, nearly one-third of global shipping could run on biofuels, up from less than 1% today. However, much of this would come from palm and soy oil, which drive deforestation and emit more carbon than traditional fuels when land clearance is accounted for, reports T&E.
IMO’s Impact on Climate
T&E’s research, conducted by Cerulogy, predicts that the IMO’s plan could result in 270 million extra tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making it worse than doing nothing.
Deforestation & Food Security at Risk
The demand for biofuels could lead to the conversion of 34 million hectares of farmland—equivalent to the size of Germany—just to meet shipping industry needs. This shift could significantly impact global food supplies, as land is repurposed for fuel crops instead of food.
A staggering 300 million bottles of vegetable oil per day could be diverted to fuel ships instead of feeding people, raising concerns about food price inflation.
Constance Dijkstra, shipping manager at T&E, criticized the plan:
“Fueling cargo ships with deforestation is a terrible idea. Burning crops for fuel is bad for the planet and bad for global food security.”
Waste Biofuels Insufficient for Demand
Some shipping giants like MSC and CMA CGM have turned to waste biofuels like used cooking oil (UCO) and animal fats. However, supplies are too limited to meet the industry’s needs.
For instance, a single cargo ship traveling between China and Brazil would require yearly waste oil from over 2,000 McDonald’s restaurants. To run it on animal fats would take over 1 million pigs—making these fuels an unsustainable solution.
Call for Sustainable Alternatives
Major players, including Hapag-Lloyd and various NGOs, are urging the IMO to exclude unsustainable biofuels from its green fuel strategy. T&E is advocating for strict definitions of ‘zero’ and ‘near-zero’ emission fuels to prevent deforestation-linked biofuels from being labeled as green.
Instead, incentives should be placed on e-fuels—made from green hydrogen—as a truly sustainable solution for the shipping industry.
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Source: T&E
