The rollout of green hydrogen has allowed heavy industries like shipping to start reducing their climate impact.

Last year in Dubai, representatives from around the world came together to take stock of climate progress and reaffirm their commitments to reducing carbon emissions. One of the most ambitious targets came from a surprising sector. In a joint declaration made at COP28, five CEOs from the world’s largest shipping companies demanded an end date for building fossil fuel-only shipping vessels.

A decade ago, this kind of ambition would have still been considered a pipe dream. Shipping—alongside other industries like steel and cement—is notoriously hard to decarbonize in large part because of the vast amount of fuel required and the inability to directly electrify the required machinery. That fuel use is a major source of greenhouse gasses; shipping alone accounts for 3% of global emissions, while cement and steel each contribute around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But thanks to the rollout of green hydrogen, these heavy industries are able to start reducing their climate impact. And when it comes to decarbonization, shipping in particular has become somewhat of an unsung hero.