- Japan has officially opposed the EU’s plan to include the shipping sector in the emissions trading system (ETS).
- It is calling on efforts to accelerate development of global measures for decarbonisation of international shipping.
- The Japanese government is opposing the planned inclusion of shipping in the EU-ETS, which could undermine global efforts to address shipping emissions.
- It said the EU’s plan could impact the shipping industry globally after the decision was taken under the limited number of EU member countries.
A recent news article published in the Argus Media states that Japan opposes EU’s plan to include shipping in ETS.
Government views
The government’s view was submitted by director general for the ministry’s maritime bureau Shinichiro Otsubo in letters addressed to director general for climate action Mauro Petriccione and director general for mobility and transport Henrik Hololei, both at the European Commission (EC).
The European Parliament in September last year voted for the inclusion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships over 5,000 gross tonnes in the EU-ETS by 1 January 2022.
Application of EU-ETS
Otsubo, in the letters, urged the EC to continue its commitment to global actions under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) instead of taking any unilateral regional market-based measures at the EU level including the application of EU-ETS to international shipping.
“… such unilateral regional actions would not effectively reduce the GHG emissions in this global sector but would even discourage investments in decarbonising technologies and hinder global momentum to establish further measures at the IMO, particularly the global market-based measures,” he said in the letters.
IMO’s measures
The IMO’s measures are expected to help international shipping reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 40pc by 2030 compared with 2008 levels. Japan is willing to further co-operate with the IMO to fully decarbonise international shipping, Otsubo said.
The EU’s plan to include shipping in the EU-ETS has also drawn criticism from shipping industry groups. Tokyo also expressed its strong concern over the plan twice in feedback comments submitted in November 2020 and February this year.
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Source : Argus Media
