Getting to Zero Coalition

The challenge

Shipping is central to the movement of goods around the world and a driver for global trade. Although it is considered one of the lowest emitting means of transportation, the industry accounts for 2-3% of global emissions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a target to reduce shipping emissions by 50% compared to 2008 rates by the year 2050. Governments and industry players are striving to reach ambitious climate targets, and the shipping industry must take the necessary steps to reduce their carbon footprint and scale green production, transportation and trade. Increased investment in clean energy technologies and associated infrastructure is also essential to shipping’s decarbonization and, as such, efforts to decarbonize fuels must run in parallel with sustainable shipping initiatives. Robust economies and healthy people depend on a thriving and resilient ocean, and decarbonizing shipping is a key step in this.

The opportunity

The Getting to Zero Coalition is a platform that convenes around 200 stakeholders from across the shipping and fuels value chain. The Coalition is managed by the Global Maritime Forum and was founded in 2019 together with the Friends of Ocean Action and the World Economic Forum after a 2018 Call to Action launched by a group of 34 key stakeholders dedicated to decarbonizing shipping.

The Coalition’s ambition is to commercialize zero-emission vessels operating along deep-sea trade routes by 2030, supported by the necessary infrastructure for scalable zero-carbon energy sources including production, distribution, storage and bunkering. Through a 2021 industry-led Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization and a recent announcement at the Getting to Zero Coalition 2022 Working Group Session, the Coalition has raised their ambition to fully decarbonize the sector by 2050, keeping in line with science based climate targets. Key objectives for 2022-2023 are to:

• Catalyze industry action including through the development of deep-sea green corridors supported by Getting to Zero member companies, as well as the development of initiatives connecting supply and demand.


• Ramp up policy action at the IMO and see the adoption of a revised GHG strategy setting a zero emission 2050 target, as well as agreement on measures needed to ensure a just and equitable sector transition.

Explore the Getting to Zero Coalition’s Ambition statement for more information and a full list of members.

Contact information

For further information about the Getting to Zero Coalition, please contact:

Mette Asmussen

Lead, Maritime Sector Initiatives

mette.asmussen@weforum.org

Learn more

Climate Breakthrough – The Road to COP26 and Beyond: Getting to Zero for Shipping – May 27, 2021

Ammonia as a Shipping Fuel – February 23, 2021

Race to Zero Dialogues: Accelerating the Race to Zero-Emission Shipping – November 11, 2020

Virtual Ocean Dialogues: Sustainable Ocean Economy – June 4, 2020

Coalition members can click here for an overview of upcoming events