Phased fuel transition for low-carbon shipping
Along the Asia–Europe shipping corridor, biofuels offer the strongest near-term option, potentially cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 31–47%, while electrofuels become more competitive after 2040 under the International Maritime Organization Net-Zero Framework. Policymakers could therefore adopt a phased strategy that prioritizes biofuels now and prepares infrastructure for electrofuels after 2040, to avoid locking shipping into transitional fossil fuels.
Authors
- Chengjiang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1864-2023)
- Quande Qin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0943-9151)
- Kuishuang Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5139-444X)
- Guoteng Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0361-2080)
- Xiu Gu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5115-0197)
- Jing Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2300-1988)
- Wei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1016-6737)
Institutions
- University of Tasmania (AU)
- Guizhou University (CN)
- Shenzhen University (CN)
- Guiyang University (CN)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Sustainability
- Published
- 2026-08-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-026-01907-7
- Primary Topic
- Maritime Transport Emissions and Efficiency
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00