Summary
Overview
Climate strategist Jujin Kim reveals why decarbonizing maritime shipping represents one of the most powerful yet overlooked levers in fighting climate change. As the sixth largest greenhouse gas emitter globally if it were a country, shipping is a climate problem on three fronts: the fossil fuels ships carry, the dirty fuel they burn, and the coal-made steel they're built from. Kim explains how his organization, Solutions for Our Climate, successfully ended coal financing in East Asia and is now targeting shipping's concentrated supply chains in South Korea to unlock ripple effects across the entire global economy.
The Hidden Climate Crisis in Shipping
Kim introduces shipping as a massively overlooked climate issue, explaining that despite challenging headlines and climate setbacks, a fundamental shift toward clean solutions is already underway because it's becoming more profitable and practical. He argues that we must be strategic and focus on systems that can unlock many others, with shipping being one of the most powerful yet most overlooked leverage points. If shipping were a country, it would rank as the sixth largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.
- A shift towards climate solution-based economy is underway because it's more profitable, practical, and affordable
- We must identify systems that can unlock many others rather than solving every problem at once
- Shipping is one of the most strategic and powerful but most overlooked climate systems
- If shipping was a country, it would be the sixth largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world
" Despite all the setbacks, we will solve this problem. However we have to be strategic We cannot solve every climate problem at once We have to identify the systems that can unlock many others "
Shipping's Triple Climate Threat
Kim breaks down why maritime shipping is uniquely problematic for climate, presenting it as a three-front crisis. Ships don't just emit carbon through their operations—they're built with fossil fuels and transport fossil fuels, creating a self-reinforcing system of emissions. He details how crude oil and gas account for one-third of maritime trade, how ships burn heavy fuel oils or LNG releasing carbon dioxide and methane, and how coal-based steel production for ships adds another 8% to global emissions.
- One-third of maritime trade consists of crude oil and gas cargo
- LNG trade has doubled during the past decade, with half of natural gas shipped in liquefied form
- Ships burn heavy fuel oils or LNG, releasing carbon dioxide and methane pollution
- Steel production using dirty coal is responsible for 8% of global emissions
" Maritime shipping is a climate problem on three fronts. Three. One, for the cargo it carries... Two, because of the fuel, ships burn... Three, because of the steel, ships are made of. "
" So shipping is not a side issue in the climate crisis. It is one of the biggest hidden levers in the entire climate fight. "
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