A half-dozen Pacific Island countries are calling for drastic greenhouse gas reductions from international shipping as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) convenes for a week of meetings in London, UK.
“If international shipping were a country, it would be the seventh-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world,” said Marshall Islands Transport and Communication Minister Mike Halferty. “Unless the sector takes additional action to those already planned, emissions from the sector will grow anywhere from 50% to 250% by 2050. That would be as much as all the greenhouse gas emissions from the European Union.”
“The UN considers that Tuvalu may well be the first nation to suffer from complete loss of land mass due to climate change,” added Monies Laafai, the country’s communication and transport minister. “Whilst we are threatened by the rising seas, it is the changes this brings to our freshwater sources and supplies that will make our country uninhabitable first…For the survival of my country and our neighbours, I beg that we must all strive collectively for the highest level of ambition possible.”
So far, the IMO has only agreed to finalize a carbon reduction plan in 2023, despite calls from “progressive” maritime shippers for timely action.
This week’s initiative by the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Palau has support from France, Germany, and Belgium, Splash 24/7 reports. Brazil, Argentina, India, and Saudi Arabia are lining up against a tougher regulatory regime.
