Nuclear-Powered Cargo Ships Promise Cleaner, Faster Transport
The commercial shipping industry is chasing a novel carbon-free propulsion technology as it pursues a lofty climate goal: nuclear power.
Shipping accounts for more planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions than Japan. The sector is responsible for 3% of all emissions globally, but the international body overseeing it has pledged to cut climate pollution by as much as 30% by 2030 and eliminate it by 2050. Nuclear power — long a source of propulsion for the military — is a tantalizing solution for an industry largely reliant on highly polluting bunker fuel, though it will likely prove hard to insure.
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