ICS support for global CO2 controls

The UK-based International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and its member national shipowners? associations have issued a strong statement in support of global measures being adopted to reduce shipping?s carbon dioxide emissions. The statement comes just days before the commencement of global climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark.

There is consensus amongst the global shipping industry, which transports about 90% of world trade that the most effective means of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by ships will be for the Copenhagen Conference to give the IMO a mandate to finalise the comprehensive package of technical and economic measures which it has already developed.

The IMO will be best placed to apply these to all ships in international trade, rather than only to the 35% of the world fleet that is currently registered with nations that are Kyoto Annex I countries, said the ICS.

“It is vital that governments avoid ?carbon leakage? from within the shipping sector, and IMO has a successful track record of delivering environment standards for ships that are enforced worldwide,” said a statement issued by the ICS. The ICS noted that the European Union was seeking agreement in Copenhagen for an ambitious reduction of 20% in emissions by the global shipping sector by 2020 from a 2005 baseline.

While it is also noted that aviation, which is currently some 30 times less carbon efficient than shipping is being asked by the EU to cut its emissions by only ten percent, the international shipping industry has said that it is committed to achieving whatever global target may be set for shipping by governments, provided that the same standards will apply to all ships trading internationally.

However, the ICS pointed out that any targets for the shipping sector should ideally be set by the IMO, which will be better equipped to take account of factors such as the predicted expansion of demand for shipping services, which is directly related to the long term growth of the world economy over which the industry has no control.