Shipping prepares for climate change talks - Maritime Journal

 Posted - 17 Nov 2011 - Maritime Journal

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which represents all sectors and trades of the global shipping industry, has produced a briefing document for government climate change negotiators.

It appears in advance of the next United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 17), which commences in Durban at the end of this month. The document entitled ‘Shipping, World Trade and the Reduction of CO2 Emissions’ is being distributed via ICS member national shipowners’ associations and can be downloaded at: www.icsshipping.org/CO2lowres.pdf
ICS Secretary General Peter Hinchliffe said “The international shipping industry is firmly committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by twenty per cent by 2020, with significant further reductions thereafter. However, the Durban Climate Change Conference needs to give the International Maritime Organization a clear mandate to continue its vital work to help us deliver further emission reductions through the development of Market Based Measures.”
The shipping industry hopes that governments at COP 17 will respond positively to the significant IMO agreement, in July 2011, to adopt a package of technical measures to reduce shipping's CO2 emissions, which by 2030 should reduce ships’ emissions by 25 to 30% compared to ‘business as usual’. This is the first ever international agreement containing binding and mandatory measures to reduce CO2 emissions that has so far been agreed for an entire industrial sector.
Most importantly, and without prejudice to what governments might agree at UNFCCC, the shipping industry believes that IMO is now very well placed to continue the real progress it is making on Market Based Measures to help deliver further emissions reductions. This includes a possible shipping industry environmental compensation fund, with possible linkages to any ‘Green Fund’ agreed by UNFCCC. This could address the Kyoto Protocol principle of ‘Common But Differentiated Responsibility’ (CBDR) by directing the lion’s share of any funds raised from international shipping to environment related projects in developing countries, including climate change mitigation and adaptation.

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