By Ryan Dicovitsky
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| The IMO is pushing to retain responsibilities in halting maritime shipping emissions (Photo: akpt) |
Mitropoulos, the Secretary-General of the United Nations-affiliated International Maritime Organization (IMO), also stated that the IMO “can be entrusted with the regulation of international shipping on the issue of climatic change.” His calls for inclusion came in the midst of a strong effort by his agency to fight shipping emissions and strengthen its eminence as the global regulatory agency for maritime shipping.
“There had been speculation that one outcome of Copenhagen could be to place regulation of GHG emissions from shipping outside of IMO’s purview—hence the need to stress once again the unique nature of shipping and the need for a specialist, international regulatory body,” said Lee Adamson, head of Public Information Services at the IMO, told MediaGlobal.
How the IMO proceeds will depend greatly on what the international community eventually agrees to in the form of a legal treaty. “IMO is ready to continue its work as the global regulatory body for shipping’s GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions, depending on the outcome of COP 15,” said Adamson. There were no formal agreements made in Copenhagen concerning maritime shipping.
The Marine Environment Protection Committee, a subset of the IMO, has, however, taken different proposals under consideration to limit the emissions of ships, which contributed to 3.3 percent of global emissions in 2007. Those emissions consist primarily of carbon dioxide in exhaust gases, the same kind of emissions that have correlated with a rise in global temperatures. Without new policies, Adamson estimated that these emissions could grow between 150 percent and 250 percent by 2050.
Perhaps the most developed proposal put forth, initially offered by Denmark, suggests that documentation of fuel used by ships would be kept under a new financial fund. Additionally, economic incentives would be given to the shipping industry to build more energy-efficient ships, with any additional funds to be given to developing countries to battle against the effects of climate change. Other proposals under consideration resemble a cap-and-trade system whereby individual ships could buy and sell credits to emit greenhouse gases.
“All countries rely on shipping for the movement of international trade,” said Adamson. However, the extent to which developing economies will be impacted by maritime shipping agreements will vary by country.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, the IMO is charged with regulating emissions that originate from maritime ships. It remains to be seen whether Secretary-General Mitropoulos made an impression in Copenhagen, and whether the IMO’s mandate will be extended under the new agreement.
