How Can We Cut Freight Shipping Emissions?

Written By Teacher: Liz Ransom

As a High School Spanish teacher and student newspaper advisor, Liz has taught for over 20 years and has served as World Languages Department Chair and K-6 summer camp activities leader. She has worked in Ohio, Maine, New Jersey, Maryland, and Chile.

Making the connection between the goods we buy and the climate costs of global shipping can inspire students to learn more about their power to take climate action. This high-interest lesson on fast fashion touches on several ways the industry impacts the climate, including the distance materials travel before reaching stores. Students can apply math and engineering thinking to analyze efforts to improve shipping efficiency, and explore innovative solutions such as wind-powered shipping for the modern age.

Written By: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

The MIT Climate Change Engagement Program, a part of MIT Climate HQ, provides the public with nonpartisan, easy-to-understand, and scientifically-grounded information on climate change and its solutions.

Freight transportation plays an important role in our global economy. Billions of tons of cargo are transported around the world each year by trucks, planes, ships, and trains. This transportation makes up 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and as much as 11% if warehouses and ports are included. Growing economies in Asia, Africa and Latin America are expected to triple global demand for freight by 2050, which will double freight’s greenhouse gas emissions. Even as other energy sectors reduce their fossil fuel use, nearly all freight transportation runs on oil and gas. If we continue with business as usual, freight will become the highest emitting sector by 2050.

Breaking down freight emissions

While nearly three-quarters of the world’s cargo is carried by ocean-going ships, road vehicles like trucks and vans make up the majority, 65%, of freight’s emissions. Most ships burn fossil fuels and emit carbon, but they carry large amounts of freight at the same time, making them the most efficient way to move cargo. Road freight, however, can emit more than 100 times as much CO2 as ships to carry the same amount of freight the same distance. Road transport is also a fast-growing sector—80% of the global increase in diesel consumption can be attributed to trucks. E-commerce and home delivery are two reasons for this growth.