Sustainable shipping within the Global Climate Hub's models integration
Date Issued
January 2025
Abstract
Abstract
The Global Climate Hub (GCH) has been developed under the United Nations
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN). It is an international
research-led initiative for tackling complex sustainability challenges. The SDSN GCH
develops national and regional pathways (optimal dynamic and spatial mixture of
policies, technologies, and fiscal and financial instruments) for the transition to climate
neutrality and climate resilience, using a holistic and interdisciplinary methodology:
We co-design pathways for climate resilience and neutrality with stakeholders, based
on the integration of downscaled climate scenarios with science-based national and
regional systems modelling (energy, land and marine use systems, health and
socioeconomics systems). The approach is aided by an open-access AI-driven data
gathering, aggregation and visualization platform, various innovation accelerators and
a training and education unit, aimed at strengthening stakeholder involvement and
capacity. The work of the GCH is the result of the coordination of nine distinct research
units, covering a wide range of expertise in digital applications, climate science, land,
water, food, biodiversity, and marine and maritime systems, energy and decarbonization,
land and maritime transport, public health, solutions’ application, policy, finance,
labour markets, participatory approaches, education and training. The coordinated work
of these nine units provides a unique approach of holistically addressing all levels of
the human-environmental interface for providing truly sustainable solutions tailored per
case study or region.
In this presentation, we describe for the first time how maritime operations are seen as
a part of a broader sustainability framing of the nine research units of the GCH. First,
the importance of “Data, Platforms and Digital Applications” (unit 1) in modelling
sustainable maritime operations is outlined. Then, the actual modelling is briefly
presented (unit 3), combining the use of climate change projections (unit 2), and the
optimal maritime operations, considering energy-fuels-emissions models (unit 4), as
well as the economy and finance tools to ensure a just transition (unit 7). Moreover,
their interactions and impacts on “environment and public health” (unit 5) are discussed.
To bridge science to practical application and policy, and ensure the long-term
implementation, we present the role of: the “Transformative and Participatory
Approaches” (unit 8) to co-design solutions with stakeholders; the “Innovation/
Acceleration” unit 6, to practically implement these solutions’ and the “Education,
Training, Upskilling and Reskilling” (unit 9), to develop the necessary expertise for the
stakeholders to own and manage the solutions. This approach comprehensively
addresses all aspects of human-environment interaction, providing comprehensive and
long-lasting sustainable solutions.
The Global Climate Hub (GCH) has been developed under the United Nations
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN). It is an international
research-led initiative for tackling complex sustainability challenges. The SDSN GCH
develops national and regional pathways (optimal dynamic and spatial mixture of
policies, technologies, and fiscal and financial instruments) for the transition to climate
neutrality and climate resilience, using a holistic and interdisciplinary methodology:
We co-design pathways for climate resilience and neutrality with stakeholders, based
on the integration of downscaled climate scenarios with science-based national and
regional systems modelling (energy, land and marine use systems, health and
socioeconomics systems). The approach is aided by an open-access AI-driven data
gathering, aggregation and visualization platform, various innovation accelerators and
a training and education unit, aimed at strengthening stakeholder involvement and
capacity. The work of the GCH is the result of the coordination of nine distinct research
units, covering a wide range of expertise in digital applications, climate science, land,
water, food, biodiversity, and marine and maritime systems, energy and decarbonization,
land and maritime transport, public health, solutions’ application, policy, finance,
labour markets, participatory approaches, education and training. The coordinated work
of these nine units provides a unique approach of holistically addressing all levels of
the human-environmental interface for providing truly sustainable solutions tailored per
case study or region.
In this presentation, we describe for the first time how maritime operations are seen as
a part of a broader sustainability framing of the nine research units of the GCH. First,
the importance of “Data, Platforms and Digital Applications” (unit 1) in modelling
sustainable maritime operations is outlined. Then, the actual modelling is briefly
presented (unit 3), combining the use of climate change projections (unit 2), and the
optimal maritime operations, considering energy-fuels-emissions models (unit 4), as
well as the economy and finance tools to ensure a just transition (unit 7). Moreover,
their interactions and impacts on “environment and public health” (unit 5) are discussed.
To bridge science to practical application and policy, and ensure the long-term
implementation, we present the role of: the “Transformative and Participatory
Approaches” (unit 8) to co-design solutions with stakeholders; the “Innovation/
Acceleration” unit 6, to practically implement these solutions’ and the “Education,
Training, Upskilling and Reskilling” (unit 9), to develop the necessary expertise for the
stakeholders to own and manage the solutions. This approach comprehensively
addresses all aspects of human-environment interaction, providing comprehensive and
long-lasting sustainable solutions.