As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) holds its Intersessional Working Group on GHG Emissions from Ships (IWSG-GHG-17, Sept 23-27) and the Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting (MEPC 82, Sept 30-Oct 4), the Clean Shipping Coalition urges immediate action to meet the IMO’s GHG Strategy targets.
These two IMO gatherings will be the first time that all three critical elements of the IMO’s implementation of its GHG Strategy – the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) revision, Global Fuel Standard (GFS) and a greenhouse gas (GHG) levy will be on the table at the same meeting.
These two weeks present a unique moment for the IMO to demonstrate that it is serious about meeting its own new IMO GHG Strategy targets – which means taking action on all three of these fronts. In 2023, the IMO committed to eliminating global shipping’s climate pollution by 2050, with crucial emission-reduction targets for 2030 and 2040 – these next two weeks provide pivotal opportunities for IMO Member States to design and adopt the binding policies to ensure those targets are met.
…said Clean Shipping Coalition President Delaine McCullough.
“Such policies will ensure the shipping sector maximises energy efficiency to immediately cut emissions, drive the uptake of onboard wind and solar propulsion and investment in scalable zero-emission fuels, and guarantee an equitable and just transition to zero-emission shipping”, said McCullough. “There’s no time to waste on false solutions—the IMO member states must adopt a comprehensive and fully integrated set of efficiency, fuel and energy emission standards, and carbon pricing policies.”
NGOs are also calling for the IMO to recognise the need to elevate other crucial issues, such as risks to biodiversity and pollution from shipping:
Over the next fortnight, the IMO must put biodiversity and pollution threats on the same footing as its response to the climate crisis.
..said Andrew Dumbrille, Director of Equal Routes. “A healthy, diverse ocean plays a vital role in tackling climate change. The ocean has the ability to soak up 31% of global CO2 emissions and produces half of the planet’s oxygen. A high level and well-coordinated task force, similar to IMO’s Maritime Just Transition Task Force, should be agreed at MEPC 82 to prioritise solutions with co-benefits which address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and increased pollution.”
Carbon Intensity Indicator
The revision of the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) should take place without delay, that is, by 2026, to ensure the CII can make the necessary contribution to reaching the 2030 IMO GHG Strategy targets.
..said McCullough.
To remind, in July 2024, six major shipping organizations (BIMCO, CLIA, INTERCARGO, INTERMANAGER, ICS, and INTERTANKO) issued a joint statement expressing their concern over some flaws of the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regulation. Moreover, in preparation for MEPC 82, RINA submitted a document focusing on evaluating the CII, aiming to provide insights that can improve its implementation and overall impact.
Furthermore, to facilitate a better understanding of the mandatory CII, the IMO has launched a series of educational videos targeted at industry stakeholders. These resources are designed to help the maritime community navigate the complexities of the CII and its implications for shipping practices.
Global Fuel Standard
“To complete the energy transition, the IMO should ensure that any fuel standard drives the use of wind and new fuels that are genuinely zero-emission, safe, scalable and sustainable”, said Constance Dijkstra, IMO Policy Manager at Transport & Environment.
