Port workers load a ship with coal at the RG Tanna Coal Terminal located at the town of Gladstone in Queensland, Australia, June 12, 2015. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo
LONDON — Carbon emissions produced from seaborne coal exports stayed steady last year despite the impact of the coronavirus on consumption, a study showed on Wednesday, although the sector faces growing environmental scrutiny.
Coal is among the biggest commodities transported by the dry bulk shipping sector and European countries have already scaled back usage as they look for greener alternatives.
Research published on Wednesday by independent climate think tank Ember showed seaborne coal exports were estimated to account for 3.1 billion tonnes of CO2 produced in 2020, or some 10% of total energy-related CO2 emissions last year.
That compared with 3.4 billion tonnes of CO2 produced from coal exported by ships in 2019, Ember analysis showed.
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In 2020, global coal shipments amounted to an estimated 1.25 billion tonnes, with major producers Indonesia and Australia accounting for 59% of these seaborne exports. Global coal shipments were estimated at 1.38 billion tonnes in 2019.
Ember estimated that CO2 emissions from seaborne coal shipments reached 1.28 billion tonnes in the first five months of 2021, compared with 1.30 billion tonnes in the same period last year.
