Excluding Shipping from COP21 Deal Won't Stop Industry Progress On Emissions: ICS

The shipping industry will continue to make progress on emissions with or without direction from the UN, says The International Chamber of Shipping.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Thursday said the removal of any explicit references to international shipping in Wednesday's draft of the COP21 climate deal text is "unlikely to inhibit the aspirations of governments" to reduce the sector's emissions.

ICS noted that, as Ship & Bunker reported yesterday, both the shipping and aviation sectors Wednesday were dropped from the draft of a global climate agreement, although the wording has yet to be finalised.

ICS says it would however be helpful for the new agreement "to reiterate the vital role of the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the development of further measures to reduce shipping's CO2 emissions. 

"This would give extra encouragement to build on the global regulations IMO has already successfully adopted and which should reduce CO2 per tonne-km 50% by 2050," it said. 

"However, the absence of text is unlikely to inhibit the aspirations of governments - which are shared by the industry - for IMO to take further action."

ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe, said that while such language "could be useful," negotiations would now likely focus on ensuring that "the overall agreement is a success which is what everyone wants."

"The message from Paris is clear," he said.

"Governments and society expect international shipping to play a full part in the reduction of CO2, and we accept our responsibility to do this. We already have ambitious CO2 reduction goals consistent with what is currently possible. 

"As soon our member national shipowners' associations have digested the full implications of the final UNFCCC agreement, ICS will be proactive with ideas for debate at IMO next year."

Last month green groups Seas At Risk, Transport & Environment (T&E) and the Marine Conservation Society called emissions from shipping, along with aviation, the "elephant in the COP21 negotiations room."