Urgent Action Needed: IMO Shipping Measures To Cut Climate Impacts

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  • The Clean Shipping Coalition urges the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to take immediate action on three key fronts: enhancing tracking and measuring of energy efficiency, establishing enforceable global fuel/energy standards, and implementing an equitable pollution fee.
  • These measures are crucial for driving the maritime sector towards a clean and just transition, combating climate change, and reducing pollution.
  • Urgent action is needed ahead of the upcoming IMO meetings to ensure lasting improvements in vessel performance and environmental impact.

Improving the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) is paramount to enhancing ship efficiency and transparency. By quantifying energy efficiency and driving deep reductions in pollution, a refined CII will set the stage for lasting improvements in vessel performance and environmental impact.

Global Fuel/Energy Standards

Enforceable fuel and energy standards are essential to driving the transition to clean energy sources. By incentivizing investments in wind power and zero-GHG fuels, these standards will not only reduce emissions but also stimulate the creation of green jobs and resilient economies worldwide.

Equitable Implementation of a Pollution Fee

Implementing a greenhouse gas emission levy holds polluters accountable and ensures a fair transition to clean shipping. Revenue generated from such a fee can support vulnerable nations and facilitate global participation in the energy transition, leaving no country behind.

John Maggs, President of the Clean Shipping Coalition, emphasizes the urgency of action, stating, “Setting goals is one thing, but agreeing and implementing the regulations that will propel the shipping sector towards a clean and just transition is quite another matter.” Maggs stresses the importance of a GHG levy on ship fuel, proposed by Pacific Island countries and Belize, to fund a just energy transition and ensure equitable participation.

Delaine McCullough, Shipping Emissions Policy Manager at Ocean Conservancy, highlights the need for policies that prioritize climate-vulnerable countries, particularly small islands facing high shipping costs and climate impacts. McCullough advocates for a pollution fee to incentivize efficiency improvements and zero-emission energy uptake while supporting an equitable transition.

Faig Abassov, Director of Shipping at Transport and Environment, underscores the importance of ambitious fuel standards and carbon pricing to drive investments in green fuels production. Abassov stresses that the IMO must provide certainty for future suppliers to accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy sources.

Anais Rios, Shipping Policy Officer at Seas At Risk, emphasizes the interconnectedness of shipping’s climate transition and ocean health. By embracing wind power and implementing regulations to improve operational efficiency, the maritime sector can mitigate climate impacts and protect marine ecosystems.

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Source: Clean Shipping