Trade associations rebuke claims of ‘obstructing’ IMO climate change talks

A new report from non-profit InfluenceMap accuses large corporations of “aggressively lobbying” the United Nations in an effort to stall or even block International Maritime Organization (IMO) environmental regulations.    Trade associations are hitting back at a new study published by London-based non-profit organization InfluenceMap accusing the international shipping industry of “aggressively” lobbying the United Nations in an effort to control climate change regulations at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
   The report, titled “Corporate Capture of the IMO,” claims that large corporations have purposefully stalled global climate change policy at the IMO, which remains outside the boundaries of the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement. Strategically released right before the next round of IMO climate talks taking place this week, the study specifically names several organizations it says have collectively lobbied to delay implementation of climate regulations until 2023.
   Three organizations singled out in the report, the World Shipping Council (WSC), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), are now refuting the accuracy of those claims.
   WSC said in a statement the report “seriously misrepresents the World Shipping Council’s approach to reducing carbon emissions from shipping. Contrary to InfluenceMap’s assertions, WSC has offered concrete proposals for both short and long-term carbon reductions.”
   WCS cited three core approaches to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from shipping that were submitted to the MEPC 71/7/4 meeting in April of this year. The association, which represents nearly all of the major liner shipping carriers, also refuted InfluenceMap’s claim that the Paris Agreement and IMO policy are similarly legally binding.
   “To the contrary,” said WCS, “it is purely aspirational, with no legal consequences for any nation’s failure to meet the objectives that each country sets for itself. In contract, the IMO’s EEDI and fuel consumption reporting regimes are legally binding, and the IMO continues to consider additional legally binding requirements.
   “The issues to be addressed by the IMO are technically and politically complex,” the group added. “WSC urges all parties to maintain their focus on finding practical and effective solutions.”
   ICS took to twitter to refute the report, stating, “ICS and other industry groups want @IMOHQ to agree on % cut In shipping sector’s absolute CO2 by 2050 @theecologist report incorrect.”
    Reached for comment, Simon Bennett, director of policy and external relations at the ICS told American Shipper, “If only it were true! Then the industry we represent might have somehow avoided some of the literally billions and billions of dollars it expects to have to invest over the next few years in order to comply with the many new environmental regulations that IMO has recently adopted and which are now being implemented on a global basis.
   “The shipping industry probably spends less than any comparable major industry on lobbying activities,” Bennett added. “Our focus on representation at IMO is because, as the report acknowledges, global regulations are of far more importance to ship operators than those adopted at national level, and the reality in most nations is that shipping actually enjoys a very small political constituency.”
   And Esben Poulsson, chairman of the ICS, told maritime news outlet Splash 24/7 that his organization has been leading, not hindering, talks to cut shipping emissions.
   “The position we are taking at the IMO meeting this week is public and transparent. Far from seeking to derail progress it was the shipping industry which played a large part in persuading IMO member states to develop a strategy to address the further reduction of the sector’s emissions follow the adoption of the Paris Agreement,” said Poulsson.
   A spokesperson from BIMCO also told Splash 24/7 that its position on greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction has been transparent and that the group has “been active in setting out realistic proposals to drive international shipping towards a meaningful reduction in GHG emissions.”
   “Our position has been set out in various submissions to IMO, most recently to MEPC 71,” the BIMCO spokesperson said. “These submissions are open and freely available.”
   The IMO climate talks began Oct. 23 and will be ongoing throughout the week. ICS told American Shipper that no comments on the progress of the IMO discussions are allowed for the duration of the session, but that a statement will be available upon its conclusion.