Abstract: The green development of shipping is an important foundation for the high-quality development of inland shipping. By analysing the relationship between Guangdong's economy, shipping, energy and the environment, a model of the Guangdong inland green shipping system was constructed using the system dynamics method. Scenarios were simulated and the effect of different green scenarios on the energy consumption and pollutant emissions of Guangdong inland shipping was analysed. The results show that, by 2030, reducing the energy consumption of transport vehicles will have a greater positive impact on the shipping industry than changing the energy structure. The green effect of the combined scenario was better than that of the single scenario, with an energy-saving effect of 18.25% and 36.39% respectively for the inland navigation system. The emission reduction effect was 22.42% and 50.93% respectively. Switching to low-sulphur oil for inland shipping system ships would reduce air pollutant emissions (SO₂ and NO_x) by an average of around 49 300 and 60 500 tonnes, respectively. In the long term, green development in Guangdong's inland shipping sector can be based on optimising the industrial structure and implementing various strategies, such as changing the energy structure and technical means.