The Switzerland-based World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently joined with China’s largest shipping company COSCO Shipping and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University to officially launch an Initiative for Building an International Sustainable Fuel Coalition.
Shipping and aviation are two of the most energy-intensive industries and among the most challenging to decarbonize. In October 2025 China’s Ministry of Transport outlined seven key measures to promote international cooperation on green shipping corridors.
The measures include expanding green shipping corridors in phases, accelerating the development of green and low-carbon vessels, developing (near) zero-carbon ports, enhancing green fuel supply capacity, leveraging government-market collaboration, sharing best practices, and supporting innovation.
At a “Carbon Path 3060” event in Shanghai on 11 June 2026, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said that as China taken a leading role in the global energy transition through advances in renewable energy and electric vehicles, the next key step toward achieving its dual-carbon goals will be developing sustainable fuels to decarbonize the shipping and aviation sectors.
“China can develop sustainable fuels based on its existing strengths. The rapid deployment of wind and solar power has made abundant green electricity available, which can be used to produce green hydrogen and ultimately synthesize e-fuels.”
The statement was made by Peru’s former environment minister, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, the global leader of Climate & Energy for WWF International, told the Chinese media outlet Yicai Global, at the “Carbon Path 3060” event in Shanghai on June 11, 2026.
At the event, Pulgar-Vidal, representing the initiative for an International Sustainable Fuel Coalition, said the coalition aims to promote in-depth cooperation between industry, academia and social organizations to accelerate the research, development and commercial application of sustainable fuels.
Shipping and aviation are two of the most energy-intensive industries and among the most challenging to decarbonize, Pulgar-Vidal said. The difficulties are related to costs, as high investment is needed to develop sustainable fuels for ships and planes, and the prices of sustainable fuels are yet to compete with those of fossil fuels. Technological development is also needed to build ships and planes that are able to use more sustainable fuels, he added.
China has demonstrated its ability to address these difficulties as it has a large consumer base and extensive experience in developing green technologies, Pulgar-Vidal said. Renewable energy used to be expensive, but prices came down after China started to develop the technology, and now people around the world have more access to green energy.
Sources:
Yicai Global, June 15, 2026. https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/developing-sustainable-fuels-is-chinas-next-step-in-decarbonization-push-wwf-climate-chief-says
China Daily, 7 December, 2025. https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202507/12/WS6871a980a31000e9a573b9b7.html
Xinhua, October 20, 2025. https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202510/20/content_WS68f57f7fc6d00ca5f9a06e42.html
