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IMO agrees strategy to halve shipping emissions by 2050

The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted, for the first time, a plan to lower greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s ships, agreeing to peak emissions as soon as possible and to reduce them by at least 50% on 2008 levels by 2050. This ‘initial strategy’ also says that countries should pursue efforts to phase out shipping emissions entirely by the end of the century.

The strategy was agreed in mid-April after a week of negotiations between 100 IMO member states at the organisation’s headquarters in London. It says that the shipping industry should ultimately follow a pathway of carbon dioxide emissions reduction that is consistent with the Paris Agreement temperature goals. Until now the shipping industry has not been included in any international agreements on climate change.

The IMO’s Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, said that the initial strategy was ‘designed as a platform for future actions’. A separate roadmap on shipping emissions reduction published by the IMO in 2016 says that any agreement will be revisited and revised in 2023 – offering a means of ratcheting up ambition, similar to the Paris Agreement.

The IMO says that future reviews of the strategy should take into account updated emission estimates, new emissions reduction options for international shipping, and the latest science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

As well as the agreement to peak and decline emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, the strategy also says that the carbon intensity of shipping should further decline via the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index – to reduce carbon emissions per tonne of goods shipped by 40% by 2030, and 70% by 2050, on 2008 levels.

The IMO’s working group on emissions reduction is due to meet later in the year to develop a programme of follow-up actions to the strategy and to progress the issue of reduction of shipping greenhouse gas emissions.

Following the agreement, environmental groups were happy that an absolute target had been set – rather than one based around emissions intensity. Brazil, the US and Saudi Arabia were opposed to setting such an absolute target, while Pacific island states were pushing for a stronger target. Either way, the strategy leaves open the option of strengthening ambition in line with the latest in climate change science.

Following the agreement, the EU’s Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, and Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action, Miguel Arias Cañete, said in a statement: ‘While the EU had sought a higher level of ambition, this is a good starting point that will allow for further review and improvements over time… For this initial strategy to succeed, it is now crucial that effective reduction measures are swiftly adopted and put in place before 2023. Preparations on longer term actions should also begin.’

The International Chamber of Shipping Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe, said: ‘This is a ground breaking agreement – a Paris Agreement for shipping – that sets a very high level of ambition for the future reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. We are confident this will give the shipping industry the clear signal it needs to get on with the job of developing zero carbon fuels, so that the entire sector will be in a position to decarbonise completely, consistent with the 1.5°C climate change goal.’

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