Zero-carbon shipping fuel could be a new source of pollution

Environment

Zero-carbon shipping fuel could be a new source of pollution

The shipping industry is planning to swap some fossil fuels for green ammonia – but that could create a major new source of nitrogen pollution

By James Dinneen

15 January 2025

Fossil fuels currently power the shipping industry
Sven Hansche/Shutterstock

Switching from burning fossil fuels to burning ammonia is a promising way for the shipping industry to cut its carbon dioxide emissions. But if it isn’t careful, this swap could also boost harmful nitrogen pollution.

A hydrogen fuel revolution is coming – here's why we might not want it

“That’s a major alarm bell that’s ringing,” says at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

The tens of thousands of ships on the oceans are responsible for about 3 per cent of global CO2 emissions,…

Article amended on 16 January 2025

We clarified Xin Zhang's affiliation

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Environment