Despite the impending departure of UK Prime Minister Theresa May, the government has in recent weeks launched a series of ambitious projects to combat climate change.

Unveiled by shipping minister Nusrat Ghani earlier this month, the Clean Maritime Plan calls for all new vessels ordered for use in UK waters to be designed with zero-emission propulsion capability by 2025.

In June, the UK became the world’s first major economy to pass laws to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, and the shipping proposal is...