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Mammoth task to achieve UN's aim of 50pc CO2 cut by 2050: ICI head
来源： 编辑：编辑部 发布：2018/05/09 09:55:49
CHAIRMAN of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Esben Poulsson, has said that the adoption by the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) of a comprehensive strategy to phase-out shipping's greenhouse gases "should be more than sufficient to discourage those who mistakenly advocate regional measures which would greatly damage global trade and would not be effective in helping shipping to further reduce its total CO2 emissions."
Mr Poulsson was commenting on the ambitious IMO strategy to cut the total greenhouse gas emissions of shipping by at least 50 per cent by 2050, compared to 2008 - with an agreed efficiency goal, as an average for the sector, for a 40 per cent improvement by 2030 compared to 2008, and a 70 per cent improvement by 2050 - so that the entire sector will be in a position to decarbonise completely, consistent with achieving the 1.5 degree climate change goal identified by the UN.
Speaking at the recent at Singapore Maritime Week, the ICS chairman said: "It's important that governments recognise the enormity of what has been agreed by IMO. While the ultimate goal is zero emissions, a 50 per cent total cut by 2050 is very ambitious indeed, especially when account is taken of current projections for trade growth.
"To put this in context, the aviation sector's regulators have so far only agreed to hold its total CO2 emissions at 2020 levels, with no clear plan for absolute reduction. Moreover, compared to the 50 per cent cut agreed by IMO, the commitments made by governments under the Paris Agreement with respect to the rest of the global economy will not see total CO2 emissions begin to reduce until the 2030s, while shipping's total current CO2 emissions are already about 8 per cent lower than ten years ago despite a 30 per cent increase in trade demand."
Mr Poulsson further remarked: "The shipping industry deserves great credit for persuading IMO Member States to respond to the Paris Agreement in such an ambitious manner. This includes the detailed proposals which the industry made about what the IMO strategy might look like within weeks of the Paris Agreement being adopted.
"The shipping industry, very unfairly, is often criticised for foot-dragging. But this new IMO agreement makes it absolutely clear that shipping is now far and away ahead of the rest of the world economy in the scale of its ambition."
ICS is confident that new technology will eventually deliver; whether through the use of fuel cells or batteries powered by renewable energy, new fuels such as hydrogen, or some other solution not yet anticipated.
"To be clear, while LNG and biofuels will probably form a part of the interim solution, the very high goals IMO has now set for 2050 can only be achieved with the development of zero CO2 propulsion systems," said Mr Poulsson.
The new IMO strategy includes a list of possible candidate measures to achieve further CO2 reduction while shipping is still dependent on fossils fuels, including additional measures that could be ready for implementation before 2023.
ICS is already now developing detailed input to IMO on all these proposals. But most controversial is further consideration of applying some kind of Market Based Measure (MBM).
The position of ICS is that it remains deeply sceptical of MBMs as a means of further incentivising CO2 reduction. Fuel is already by far the largest cost for shipowners and this is expected to increase dramatically as a result of the new mandatory global IMO sulphur cap in 2020, reports AJOT.
Mr Poulsson was commenting on the ambitious IMO strategy to cut the total greenhouse gas emissions of shipping by at least 50 per cent by 2050, compared to 2008 - with an agreed efficiency goal, as an average for the sector, for a 40 per cent improvement by 2030 compared to 2008, and a 70 per cent improvement by 2050 - so that the entire sector will be in a position to decarbonise completely, consistent with achieving the 1.5 degree climate change goal identified by the UN.
Speaking at the recent at Singapore Maritime Week, the ICS chairman said: "It's important that governments recognise the enormity of what has been agreed by IMO. While the ultimate goal is zero emissions, a 50 per cent total cut by 2050 is very ambitious indeed, especially when account is taken of current projections for trade growth.
"To put this in context, the aviation sector's regulators have so far only agreed to hold its total CO2 emissions at 2020 levels, with no clear plan for absolute reduction. Moreover, compared to the 50 per cent cut agreed by IMO, the commitments made by governments under the Paris Agreement with respect to the rest of the global economy will not see total CO2 emissions begin to reduce until the 2030s, while shipping's total current CO2 emissions are already about 8 per cent lower than ten years ago despite a 30 per cent increase in trade demand."
Mr Poulsson further remarked: "The shipping industry deserves great credit for persuading IMO Member States to respond to the Paris Agreement in such an ambitious manner. This includes the detailed proposals which the industry made about what the IMO strategy might look like within weeks of the Paris Agreement being adopted.
"The shipping industry, very unfairly, is often criticised for foot-dragging. But this new IMO agreement makes it absolutely clear that shipping is now far and away ahead of the rest of the world economy in the scale of its ambition."
ICS is confident that new technology will eventually deliver; whether through the use of fuel cells or batteries powered by renewable energy, new fuels such as hydrogen, or some other solution not yet anticipated.
"To be clear, while LNG and biofuels will probably form a part of the interim solution, the very high goals IMO has now set for 2050 can only be achieved with the development of zero CO2 propulsion systems," said Mr Poulsson.
The new IMO strategy includes a list of possible candidate measures to achieve further CO2 reduction while shipping is still dependent on fossils fuels, including additional measures that could be ready for implementation before 2023.
ICS is already now developing detailed input to IMO on all these proposals. But most controversial is further consideration of applying some kind of Market Based Measure (MBM).
The position of ICS is that it remains deeply sceptical of MBMs as a means of further incentivising CO2 reduction. Fuel is already by far the largest cost for shipowners and this is expected to increase dramatically as a result of the new mandatory global IMO sulphur cap in 2020, reports AJOT.