IMO welcomes COP21 agreement to control global warming

The omission of the shipping industry from the text of the climate change agreement will not diminish the International Maritime Organization’s “strong commitment” as a regulator of greenhouse gases from shipping, the group said in a statement.    The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said in a statement it “welcomed the historic achievement of the 2015 Paris Climate Change conference (COP21).”
   “The absence of any specific mention of shipping in the final text will in no way diminish the strong commitment of IMO as the regulator of the shipping industry to continue work to address GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from ships engaged in international trade,” said IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu.
   IMO added it recognizes “the important need for international shipping, which accounts for 2.2% of CO2 anthropogenic emissions, to support global efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change.”
   IMO noted that to date, it “is the only organization to have adopted energy-efficiency measures that are legally binding across an entire global industry and apply to all countries.”
   “Mandatory energy efficiency standards for new ships, and mandatory operational measures to reduce emissions from existing ships, entered into force under an existing international convention (MARPOL Annex VI) in 2013,” it said. “By 2025, all new ships will be 30 percent more energy efficient than those built last year. This is more than a target, it is a legal requirement, and demonstrates that IMO is the correct and only forum to identify solutions and an appropriate pathway for international shipping to de-carbonize with the rest of the globe.
   “Continuing efforts will include development of a global data collection system for ship’s fuel consumption to be discussed in detail at the next meeting of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee in 2016, further consideration of a total-sector reduction target for GHG emissions from international shipping as proposed by the Marshall Islands in 2015, and continued investigation of additional mechanisms for ships to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement.”
   The European Community Shipowners’ Association said, “The European shipping industry is fully aware of the new impetus that Paris has given to the fight against climate change and we are more determined than ever to be part of the solution.”
   “Following the adoption in 2011 of measures to increase the energy efficiency of the industry, the agreed next step is a global data collection system of CO2 emissions,” said Patrick Verhoeven, Secretary General of ECSA. “The governments in IMO will resume discussions on such a system in April next year, with the aim of ascertaining the real contribution of international shipping to global CO2 emissions. We strongly encourage all parties to ensure that these discussions lead to the establishment, as soon as possible, of a mandatory data collection system.”
   ECSA said once the data collection system is in place, the IMO will be able to decide on the next steps for emissions reductions within the industry.
   “Together with our partners in the International Chamber of Shipping, we are ready to positively contribute to this process” added Verhoeven. “We hope that the European Parliament as well as civil society will join us in supporting Member States and the Commission to seek a global partnership in the IMO, as no regional solution could ever guarantee global emission reductions nor a global level playing field for shipping. The EU has adopted regulation that is meant to facilitate and precipitate a global solution for CO2 emissions from ships. It is now time to translate these commitments into a global agreement.”