IMO grapples again with CO2 controls

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The environment committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) returns to work on the vexed issue of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in international shipping
through market-based measures (MBMs) this week.
An inter-sessional working group of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting underway in London is reviewing ten submissions from national governments and organisations suggesting different market based approaches. All involve either bunker fuel levy or emissions trading solutions.
The main objective of the meeting is narrow down the ten submissions into a smaller number of more detailed alternatives for consideration at the next full MEPC meeting in July. Proposals could be merged or some could be rejected altogether.
Either way, there appears a long road ahead before an agreed MBM proposal could go to an IMO vote and be approved and implemented. Already, an earlier stage of GHG reduction reforms, the so-called technical and operational measures to increase ship energy efficiency (EEDI and EEOI), have been thwarted from mandatory application. The same high-level diplomatic obstacles that stand in the way of EEDI and EEOI also threaten to obstruct agreement on MBM agreement.
It is more likely that regulation of shipping’s GHG emissions will emerge in a regional patchwork way. The European Union says it will act to regulate emissions from international shipping by the end of 2011 if the IMO can’t make substantial progress. The MEPC inter-sessional meeting comes as the EU shows further signs of its intent this week. The European Commission has set out a transport strategy up to 2050 which contains a number of goals aimed at a more efficient and sustainable transport system across all modes.
Among other things, the strategy calls for a shift of travel and freight from road to rail and waterways, and the reduction of CO2 emissions from maritime bunker fuels in the EU by 40 per cent by 2050. A tall order if maritime transport is to be expanding during this time.
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