Breaking news

Eastern Mediterranean Shipping Charts Uneven Course To Decarbonization

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 30, 2025

Survey Reveals Incremental Progress and Challenges

A recent survey conducted by the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA), in collaboration with the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, highlights the Eastern Mediterranean shipping industry’s evolving commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The METAVASEA survey, which gathered 898 responses from shipping companies, seafarers, ports, suppliers, and civil society between June and November 2024, offers a nuanced view of an industry at the crossroads of tradition and transformation.

Emissions Focus and Alternative Fuels

The survey indicates that 74 percent of shipping companies have either aligned or are planning to align with the International Maritime Organization’s net-zero targets. However, emphasis remains predominantly on direct emissions, with 73 percent of respondents focusing on them, while lesser attention is given to indirect (Scope 2) and supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions, at 9 percent and 4 percent respectively. Biofuels lead as the most adopted alternative, cited by 62 percent of respondents, followed by green hydrogen (25 percent) and ammonia (19 percent).

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Operational Concerns and Technological Adoption

Despite these efforts, nearly half (42 percent) of participants flagged infrastructure and compatibility issues, particularly as new technologies such as onboard carbon capture, wind and solar power, and air lubrication remain fraught with concerns over cost, vessel readiness, and safety. For seafarers, crew fatigue tops the list of safety concerns at 70 percent, even as a notable training deficit persists, with 64 percent reporting a lack of decarbonisation-related training in the past two years.

Workforce Development and Strategic Gaps

The findings reveal a dual need for technical expertise—including emissions monitoring, energy management, and handling of new fuels—alongside essential soft skills such as leadership and strategic thinking. Larger fleets demonstrate greater progress in emissions tracking and ESG strategy adoption, whereas smaller operators cite limited resources as a significant barrier.

Ports, Infrastructure, and Misaligned Public Perceptions

Ports and suppliers face their own set of challenges. Only 20 percent of ports currently offer VLSFO bunkering, even as the Mediterranean prepares for its designation as a SOx Emission Control Area in May 2025. With 40 percent of ports lacking decarbonisation interventions and 60 percent missing emissions monitoring systems, infrastructure gaps remain a significant hurdle. Meanwhile, public perceptions are at odds with reality—many erroneously estimate that shipping accounts for 50–70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, compared to an actual figure closer to 3 percent.

A Roadmap For Sustained Green Transition

The METAVASEA project, running from 2023 until 2027, aims to map the skills and infrastructure necessary for a successful green transition in this strategically vital region. With a network that includes six core partners, twelve associates, and over sixty stakeholders, the project intends to track ongoing trends and training needs, providing a critical framework for future progress in decarbonization.

The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties

by News Editor

August 24, 2026

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.