Editorial Board
How Cargo Ships Can Go Green
New rules will require investing in solar, biofuels and maybe even nuclear power.
Turn off those engines now.
Photographer: David McNew/Getty Images
Shipping is the lifeblood of global commerce — more than 80 percent of world trade goes by water. But the industry is also an environmental menace, producing as much carbon dioxide annually as Germany.
The International Maritime Organization has helpfully called for ships to produce about 85 percent less sulfur by the end of next year, and to halve their total greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.