Pathways to Zero-Impact Shipping

 As marine shipping works to reduce its environmental impacts, decision-makers are faced with a growing number of options for new technologies and alternative fuels. While many solutions offer environmental benefits, they can also introduce new risks, uncertainties, and trade-offs across environmental, operational, social, and economic objectives. 

The Pathways to Zero-Impact Shipping project was a collaborative research initiative among Clear Seas, the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). The project explored how systems thinking and structured decision-making approaches can support more holistic evaluations of technologies, fuels, and research investments intended to reduce the environmental impacts of marine shipping operations. 

Through interviews, workshops, and case studies with marine shipping professionals, the research examined how organizations make decisions in complex and uncertain environments and developed a practical framework to support more transparent, evidence-informed decision-making. 

Ultimately, the project demonstrates that there is rarely a single “best” solution. Instead, better outcomes depend on understanding the co-benefits, trade-offs, and uncertainties associated with different pathways and making those considerations explicit in decision-making processes. 

There is no single pathway to zero-impact shipping 

Different solutions perform better or worse depending on the decision context, available infrastructure, vessel needs, regulatory requirements, and future uncertainty. The goal is not to identify one universal answer, but to support choices that are defensible and fit for purpose. 

Looking beyond single impacts reveals trade-offs and co-benefits 

Solutions that reduce one impact may create risks elsewhere or generate benefits across multiple objectives. A systems-based approach helps decision-makers understand the broader consequences of different pathways before committing to a course of action. 

A practical framework can support more transparent decision-making 

The project developed a decision support framework that helps organizations define objectives, evaluate alternatives, and make trade-offs explicit. The framework is designed to support more transparent decision-making in complex and uncertain environments. 

To help apply the framework, the project team has developed free decision support templates available here: