Abstract
For the first time after “Carbon neutral declaration” by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on October, 2020, Japanese government started to implement decarbonization policies with clear targets together with economic and financial community. In difference to another industrial sectors, the carbon neutral rules and guidelines for shipping industry have been elaborated not by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)'s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) but by International Marine Organization (IMO) due to its cross border nature. The latest “IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships” (2023）specifies to achieve not only GHG emission zero by 2050 for ocean going vessels but also alternative zero and near-zero GHG fuels. Based on the guidelines set by IMO, Japanese marine industry initiated the following efforts; 1)reduction of GHG emission by using LNG, 2)no emission of GHG with green energies such as Ammonia and Hydrogen, and 3)removal of CO2 through afforestation or carbon credit trading. This article analyzes the counter measures against global warming, which is considered as one of the most urgent and impactful target of SDGs, making use of Japanese marine industry as an example.
