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MARINE | Decarbonisation In association with IGI
Green logistics in the US: making the marine cargo sector more environmentally sustainable The US government wants to make a tangible difference to its country’s carbon footprint and has implemented a number of environmentally friendly initiatives for the logistics sector. Mark Trevitt, Class Underwriter, Marine, at International General Insurance (IGI), explains the impact this has on the marine cargo sector in America, and how insurers can actively encourage greener freight transportation At first glance, the maritime world and environmental initiatives do not necessarily mix. However, there is an ever-increasing demand for transport that is sustainable in terms of the impact it has on society, our environment and the climate – and the maritime industry has a significant part to play in reducing global emissions. Many of these environmental concerns lie in the transportation of goods via the shipping industry, which is heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Although transporting goods by ship is less environmentally damaging than the equivalent journey by road or air, the colossal scale of global shipping means that change is needed. This amount of movement on a global scale demands an extraordinary amount of energy, consuming billions of barrels of oil every year. The Marine Insurer | June 2022
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US freight activity continues to expand significantly. It said the US transportation system moves a daily average of more than 51 million tons of freight or about 57 tons of freight per capita. And freight’s contribution is expected to increase. E-commerce sales increased 20-fold between 2000 and 2019 and projections are that by 2025, as international commerce increases and supply chains become more global and complex, shipments of US goods will grow another 23.5%, and by 2040, a total of 45%. Also, experts project that by 2050 global freight transport emissions will surpass those from passenger vehicles.
LEGISLATION FOR LOGISTICS OPERATORS The US government is actively implementing sanctions to
