In the same time that shipping industry leaders talk climate change solutions at COP23 in Bonn, raising the ambition for global regulation remains crucial to ensure shipping’s contribution to reach the Paris Agreement’s goal of staying below 2°C temperature rise, according to John Kornerup Bang, Chief Advisor on Climate Change at Maersk.
As 90% of global trade travels by sea, without international shipping, the modern world wouldn’t be able to exchange goods at a level that creates economic opportunities for a growing population. However, it remains a global challenge to boost growth and trade, while reducing the impacts of climate change, Mr. Kornerup Bang noted.
“While shipping is often the most efficient way of moving goods over long distances, the industry must step up its efforts to pollute less.”
Responding to IMO claims that the industry can improve efficiency by up to 75% through operational measures and current technology, Mr. Kornerup Bang says achieving it demands a higher level of ambition than outlined in the current roadmap for 2017–2023, based on both technical, operational and economic measures – without punishing early movers and with clear incentives to develop new solutions.
“As a company, we are reaching a point where it will be more and more challenging to drive significant reductions on our own. Efficiency measures are drying out and it’s an industry challenge to drive the needed innovation in new propulsion technologies. More than ever, we need global regulation to ensure a level playing field and a transition with the biggest possible environmental impact.”
Further, Mr. Kornerup Bang commented the fact that the global agreement from COP21 in Paris, that entered into force in 2016, did not include shipping. He noted:
“Shipping must decarbonise at the same pace as the rest of the economy and contribute with its ‘fair share’ of CO2 reductions to achieve the global goal of staying below 2°C temperature rise. Global regulation remains a key driver in realising this ambition.”
In addition, Mr. Kornerup Bang notes a progress at the IMO work, as during COP21, the pressure has been on the IMO to determine the long-term commitment of the shipping industry, but in the buildup to COP22 in Marrakech, the members of MEPC agreed on a data collection system to map emissions and a roadmap for a strategy on how to reduce them and when. This marked an important milestone in the regulation process.
“Lately, the pressure on IMO has only been reinforced by the European Union’s decision to leave the regulation of shipping emissions to the IMO until 2023. However, we would have preferred to see more progress during an intense week of negotiations at the latest IMO GHG intersessional meeting in October this year, particularly on the level of ambition,” he adds.
“Nevertheless, we remain encouraged by the ambitious statements made by many member states and industry organisations. This gives us confidence that IMO will reach an agreement at its next meeting in 2018, including concrete measures,” he concluded.
