IN PROFILE
‘We may have hit the extremes for people flying to a meeting’ Wah Kwong’s Will Fairclough had plenty to say on how Covid-19 could spur greater green thinking in society at large
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pril 16 was the date of the second episode of the Maritime CEO Leader Series, and it took viewers to the Hong Kong home of William Fairclough, the managing director of Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings, a famous name in Hong Kong shipping. In conversations with Fairclough in the past it has always struck Maritime CEO that this UK citizen is very aware of his own carbon footprint, wincing at the thought of another flight, and so his thoughts on how the coronavirus might spur a greater green consciousness in society at large made for a fascinating TV interview. On assessing just how seismic the current pandemic could be in terms of changing our daily lives, Fairclough pointed out that for most people in the West the coronavirus and the subsequent lockdowns marked the greatest shift since the
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ISSUE TWO 2020
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The world assumed we needed carbon intensive travel to sustain the global economy
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Second World War. Likewise, he observed: “The financial crisis still burns brightly in all of our minds and we talk about it pre- and after the financial crisis. This will go down at least as the same in terms of impact.” Fairclough hailed the financial resilience of shipping compared to aviation and other transport sectors during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The shipowner highlighted how shipping might accelerate more rapidly towards a greener future thanks
in part to the spread of Covid-19. Fairclough reckoned the outbreak could could fast forward a number of trends, while also saying: “We may have hit the extremes in terms of the extent people feel the need to jump on an airplane simply to attend a meeting.” “The extent to which the world assumed we needed carbon intensive travel to sustain the world economy and it was not going to go away has been shown that that can stop in a couple of weeks and I don’t think anyone anywhere would have believed it could be done but it has been shown to be possible. So I believe once that enters the human psyche it does alter peoples’ perception of what is necessary,” Fairclough said. The former Clarksons broker also spent much time during the 17-minute video discussing how shipping is keen to move on to the next phase in technology to make greener ships but investment has to be underpinned by commitments from the end-users. “Ultimately that cost has to flow through to the consumer and that is to society at large and what this may do is alter society’s view on whether or not they’re willing to pay for it,” Fairclough said, noting greater urgency in the locked-down nations everywhere to address environmental issues. ●
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