Delegates from across the world will attend the 79th gathering of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) from this morning. The five days of discussions will be watched closely for any sign of a consensus building to make stricter green targets for shipping,.
The United Nations body is currently in the process of revising its existing climate strategy.
Member states at IMO’s sister body at the UN, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), voted in October to adopt a collective long-term global aspirational goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, something that is far head of IMO’s current demands, which call for emission cuts of 50% compared to a 2008 baseline.
IMO delegates met in London for a round of technical talks last week, with the conclusions of this session being submitted for further deliberations at MEPC 79. The strategy revision is set to be concluded at MEPC 80 next year.
The regulator is also negotiating on a basket of different measures to reduce emissions from ships in the medium-term, including a carbon levy and a fuel standard.
Ahead of the start of today’s talks, Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, commented: “We welcome signals that IMO member states now seem to be on track to adopt a [net-zero target] for international shipping, as well as a goal for 5% of the energy used by shipping to be produced from alternative fuels by 2030. But the hard work starts now.”
Daniele Rao from the NGO Carbon Market Watch said: “More countries than ever before are onboard not only for setting a hard deadline for shipping’s decarbonisation but also for bringing emissions down faster, earlier, and in a way that can benefit the most vulnerable.”
