Page 14 - IB AUG 2017

Shipping
Big blow for Pacific coal ition at IMO negotiations

By Ilaitia Turagabeci ...the issue of climate

DESPITE the passionate plea of a coali- ‘ change and sea level
tion of Pacific leaders, the world’s leading
shipping organisation has failed to agree rise is a question of
to urgently tackle the industry’s impact on survival for us ...we
climate change. should go for zero ‘
After a two-week meeting in London emissions ...
last month,the International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) agreed to cap emis- - Kiribati Minister for Justice Naatan Teewe
sions of sulphur from ships, which are
a cause of air and sea pollution, but on
greenhouse gases agreed only to some Reluctant change ... It is difficult to access data on shipping fuel consumption because most companies keep them
further monitoring and a fresh round of closely guarded in a competitive industry. Photo: Andrew Priest/ Baltic Briefing
negotiations. Bill Hemmings, director (aviation/ ship- No agreement was reached on capping
Campaigners across the world and in the ping) of the campaigning group Transport carbon dioxide emissions. Shipping is a
Pacific have condemned the IMO’s lack of and Environment in Europe, welcomed fast-growing source of greenhouse gases,
urgency on the issue. the move. projected to account for 17 per cent of glob-
Potential measures to reduce green- “The decision reduces the contribution al emissions by 2050, though the industry
house gases have been delayed to 2023, of shipping to the world’s air pollution has long been omitted from international
which campaigners said was too late. from about 5 per cent to 1.5 per cent and agreements on climate change, including
It was just as anticipated, a collision will save millions of lives in the coming the UN’s Paris accord signed last year.
of the Pacific and the shipping world and decades. Now the focus should shift to- IMO members instead agreed to further
sparks flew behind closed doors at the UN wards implementing this decision,” he told monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions
negotiations to deliver a climate deal for Islands Business. data from international shipping, with
the industry. “After many years of inaction, IMO a view to drawing up an action plan to
While the plea by the coalition of saw some useful initial discussions on reduce them. That plan is not likely to be
ministers and ambassadors from the the potential list of measures to address implemented before 2023.
Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji, GHG emissions from ships, which need “Fixing shipping is going to be a hercu-
Vanuatu, Palau and the Solomon Islands to be further analysed and discussed. lean task. We are a specialist sustainable
won some support. it did not change the “But for the small island states in the transport organisation and have several
mindset of the 172-member IMO. Pacific to survive the sea levels rise, ideas how this can be done. The problem is
Their submission for the industry to discussions alone will not help. IMO so that the world community acting together
make radical emissions cuts to align the far has failed to muster the political will at the IMO is like trying to turn a large oil
sector’s emissions with a global target to to drive decarbonisation. tanker round on a dime,” Hemming said.
limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial “On the overarching question of The IMO first began to make plans to
levels was supported by France and Bel- agreeing a global ship emissions reduc- reduce emissions in 2003, yet little action
gium and other IMO member states includ- tion target in line with Paris, outright has been taken.
ing those from the EU, UK, Canada, Ban- opposition to absolute reductions was Shipowners and shipping companies
gladesh, Bahamas, Scandinavia and NZ. voiced by industry and influential de- want to guard any data they collect on
The coalition called for shipping to meet veloping countries. The meeting even fuel consumption, seeing it as a competi-
a zero emissions target by 2035. failed to seize the opportunity of such tive issue.
Brazil, Argentina, India and Saudi low-hanging fruit as to accelerate the Alison Newell, a Fiji-based researcher
Arabia fought to delay moves for tougher efficiency targets of new build ships on sustainable sea transportation, said
regulation for shipping during the nego- which are clearly too lax and failing to the outcome at the negotiation which she
tiations. drive innovation and new technologies.. attended was not good for the Pacific.
In the end, the IMO agreed that sulphur “Overall the lack of real momentum “This can in no way be seen as a proper
will be capped at 0.5 per cent of shipping was disappointing and the IMO still has response to the challenge laid down by
fuel content from 2020, not 2025 as some a long way to go to show it can drive the Paris climate agreement. The IMO is
companies and countries had urged. decarbonisation in this key international going to fall way short of what is needed
Current levels of sulphur in maritime sector.” to achieve Paris unfortunately. The
fuels can be as high as 3.5 per cent, some It is not clear how the sulphur cap will International Maritime Organization is
experts said. be implemented or policed. proposing to stall any action until 2023.

14 Islands Business, August 2017