Climate solution: Sails make a comeback in shipping, to dent its huge carbon footprint

Seafaring pioneers are spearheading a comeback for wind power in the shipping industry, to dent its huge carbon emissions. The international merchant fleet of more than 100,000 ships that transports most of the world's trade is also responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Mariners pushing for wind power say investors used to view them as something of a joke. But as they engineer the return of sail-powered cargo ships, they are having the last laugh. Sailors don’t claim that wind propulsion is going to rule the waves as it did for centuries. But they see a future for sailing on some cargo routes, driven by shipping’s need to decarbonize.