A few figures illustrate the scale of the challenge: maritime freight accounts for 90% of international trade in goods and involves more than 60,000 ships. Almost all of these ships are powered by combustion engines of one form or another, which are obviously polluting. Today, greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport account for “only” 3% of global pollution... but this figure is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. On this basis, the member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have approved a carbon pricing system and committed to reducing these emissions to zero by 2050. So, in room 6235 of the famous Palais Bourbon (the home of the lower house of the French government), listening to the feedback from sail-powered cargo ship owners (Grain de Sail, TOWT, and Windcoop were all in attendance) was fascinating. And in terms of technological innovations, kite wings were represented by Beyond the Sea, inflatable rigs by Aeroforce and Ocean Wings, and hulls by VPLP.
In short, now more than ever, Multihulls World will continue to publish the Forever Green special editions for you!
