The IMO MEPC 76 adopted a 2% annual ship CO2 intensity reduction target between 2023-2026, representing an estimated 11% improvement by 2026 compared to 2019 levels, a decision that encountered strong opposition by green groups and major states.
To remind, the 76th session of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 76) kicked off virtually on 10 June, initially expected to adopt amendments to cut the carbon intensity of ships by 40% by 2030. At the opening of the session, IMO Secretary-General warned that ‘failure is not an option’, stepping up ambitions for real progress on GHG emissions reduction from shipping.
In this respect, Monday’s decision faced opposition by the US, UK and EU member states who ambitioned at least 22% emissions reduction by 2026, while the measures also became subject of wide criticism across social media. In a Twitter post, NGO Clean Arctic Alliance said that the adopted short-term measures are so weak that “they will mean no reductions in CO2 emissions in coming 5 years”.
MEPC 76 agreed on efficiency measure to reduce carbon intensity indistinguishable from business-as-usual. For next 10 years, shipping’s climate heating emissions will likely increase especially in Arctic where shipping is set to expand,
…the NGO said.
Despite a warning by IMO Secretary-General on the risks of regional measures in the global ambition of reducing shipping emissions, the EU has been negotiating for years the shipping inclusion in Emissions Trading Scheme to monitor emissions domestically, while reports say the US Congress has recently discussed adopting their own shipping green measures, with House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva introducing the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, to take on the climate crisis “in creative new ways”. This follows an April call by the US Climate envoy John Kerry on IMO to lead the industry towards zero-emissions by 2050, rather than a 50% cut in emissions which is the current goal.
The MEPC 76 meeting, which is expected to wrap up Thursday, will also discuss revised proposals from Member States and industry for the establishment of an International Maritime Research Board and Fund (IMRB), as well as proposals for a GHG workplan to structure discussions on mid- and long-term candidate measures in future sessions.
