Advancing Clean Hydrogen in Global Shipping: Health and Economic Co-Benefits
New Nature Communications study by CCEH highlights how decarbonizing maritime transport can also improve air quality, public health and economic well-being
A new study led by researchers from the NTU Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Health (CCEH), published in Nature Communications, examines the health and economic benefits of transitioning the global shipping sector to clean hydrogen energy.
This study investigates how a cleaner maritime energy transition could deliver benefits beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Using atmospheric chemistry and air quality modelling, the research team assessed the impacts of transitioning global shipping energy to hydrogen. The findings show that cleaner shipping fuels could substantially reduce maritime air pollution, particularly across coastal regions and major international shipping corridors.
Key findings
- Cleaner air: A transition to hydrogen-powered shipping could significantly reduce air pollution and improve ambient air quality in regions affected by maritime emissions.
- Health benefits: Reduced exposure to shipping-related air pollution could prevent tens of thousands of premature deaths each year globally.
- Economic benefits: Improvements in public health could translate into substantial economic benefits through reduced health burdens and associated costs.
- Climate and health action: Decarbonizing maritime transport can simultaneously support global climate objectives and contribute to healthier communities.
The study highlights the importance of considering health and economic co-benefits when designing strategies for the maritime energy transition. Accelerating the adoption of cleaner energy in shipping could therefore play an important role not only in reducing carbon emissions, but also in improving public health and economic welfare worldwide.
The research was conducted by Qi Ran, Tingting Fang and Benjamin Gaubert, with support from the Tsao Family Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Singapore (MOE).
Read the full open-access paper: Health and economic impacts of improved air quality from transitioning global shipping energy to hydrogen, published in Nature Communications.
