But when Dubai\u2019s port authority knocked back his request to sail a 75-metre ship powered by green ammonia into the Gulf city\u2019s bay marina, he opted not to try to pull any strings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Andrew Forrest and CEO of Fortescue Future Industries Mark Hutchinson on board the Green Pioneer, which is berthed in Dubai.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Lucy Cormack<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI actually thought it\u2019s better to not do that. It\u2019s better to be blocked. Sail it in, then be blocked and make it a demonstration to the entire world\u2019s ports,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what you\u2019re doing, you\u2019re actually stopping the world from being able to save itself if you don\u2019t immediately change regulations to let the ships in … instead of blocking pollution-free ships, prioritise them immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a conundrum the Fortescue boss and born-again climate crusader is butting up against everywhere: ships powered by ammonia are not permitted to berth in any port under maritime law \u2013 yet.<\/p>\n Standing on the deck of the prototype green ammonia dual-fuel ship in Dubai harbour \u2013 which Fortescue was forced to sail using normal sustainable fuel \u2013 Forrest said the world could not afford to let \u201cpieces of paper around on a desk be the reason why this planet cooked itself\u201d.<\/p>\n COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber speaks during the summit.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Bloomberg<\/cite><\/p>\n The Green Pioneer dropped anchor in Dubai last week, travelling from its base in Singapore to be displayed on the sidelines of the COP28 UN climate event, which runs until December 12.<\/p>\n Forrest said he would give shipping ports and authorities four months before he comes banging on their doors to push through regulatory change he says is vital to decarbonise shipping. He predicted Fortescue would be powering 270,000-tonne iron ore freighters with green ammonia \u201cthis decade\u201d.<\/p>\n Ammonia is a colourless gas that can be made synthetically by combining nitrogen with hydrogen. When it is created using renewable energy sources such as wind, solar or hydropower, it is considered green ammonia.<\/p>\n Fortescue last year announced it was ditching fossil fuel-related operating expenses such as gas, diesel and Australian carbon credits in favour of renewables in its push to reach net-zero emissions by 2030.<\/p>\n Forrest\u2019s attendance at the annual climate summit caps off a year racing around the world lecturing academics, including health and climate specialists, on health and climate and the dangers of lethal humidity, a message he will continue to spread in Dubai.<\/p>\n He keeps attending the events, he says, despite believing strongly that the constitutional basis of the UN summit needs to be rewritten.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you let these COPs\u2019 very direction be ruled … and their fundamental constitutions to be influenced by the fossil fuel sector, then don\u2019t be surprised it turns into a great big greenwash,\u201d he told this masthead.<\/p>\n \u201cCOP must be demanded by people who are prepared to make them organised and run for the industries which will save the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n COP28 is being led by the United Arab Emirates\u2019 Dr Sultan Al Jaber, who is also the chief executive of the country\u2019s state-owned oil company. He has faced criticism for giving the fossil fuel industry an outsized influence over the summit.<\/p>\n Forrest insisted leaders must not to be swayed by an \u201cextremely noisy minority\u201d in the fossil fuel lobby, urging \u201cthey are a minority. The world wants you to go green\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe end of the oil and gas sector will be highly profitable … and leaders of industries do need to be guided by their powers to say, actually, we don\u2019t want you to exploit the profit, we want you to change.\u201d<\/p>\n Late on Saturday, the Albanese government announced it had joined more than 100 countries at COP28 pledging to triple the global renewable energy generation capacity, and double the global average annual energy efficiency improvements by 2030.<\/p>\n Other major energy exporters, including the United States, Canada and Norway, are also backing the pledge.<\/p>\n Get a note directly from our foreign <\/i><\/b>correspondents <\/i><\/b>on what\u2019s making headlines around the world. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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