Shipping services should be urged to reduce emissions, Marshall Islands

Ruci Mafi, SPC, Climate Pasifika
Copenhagen, 15 December - The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat should invite the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to addresses emission reductions for international shipping, the Government of the Marshall Islands said in Copenhagen, Denmark at the 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to UNFCCC.

In his presentation, Edward Baron Bigler, Deputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs for the Marshall Islands, said that any reduction measure must reflect the IMO 9 Principles including applications to ships of all flags.
“Reduction targets must be achievable, recognize shipping sector differences and expected increase in shipping activity; and they should address unique vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to shipping measures,” Mr Bigler said.

Marshall Islands is a chain of 34 coral atolls and islands with a land area of 70 square miles over 750,000 square miles of ocean and a population of 50,000 people.

According to Bigler reduction targets must be achievable, recognize shipping sector differences and expected increase in shipping activity with the need to address unique vulnerability of SIDS to shipping measures.

“There is a need to have a sustainable based approach to shipping and emissions from this industry,” he said.

Speaking at a UNFCCC-COP 15 side event in Copenhagen, Denmark, Mr Bigler said it the emission reduction for shipping should bind all flag states, be cost effective, able to limit or at least effectively minimize competitive distortions.

A platform should be based on sustainable environmental development without penalizing global trade and growth, support the promotion and facilitation of technical innovations in the entire shipping sector, accommodate leading technologies in the field of energy efficiency and practical, transparent, fraud free and easy to administer.

Mr Bigler called on the IMO to fully participate in COP 15 meetings and working groups to ensure that voluntary energy efficiency operational indicator.