EMEA News
MEPC83: GHG Talks on Track to Deliver Draft Text by Friday
The absence of the US delegation from the MEPC83 talks taking place in London this week to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from ships will not have bearing on the final outcome, International Maritime Organisation's secretary-general has said.
Asked by Ship & Bunker at an event at IMO headquarters on April 9, Arsenio Dominguez said that the IMO's collegiate approach would get the job done.
"We work as a team," he said.
The negotiations in train aim to produce a draft text on how to implement IMO GHG policy to be agreed by Friday.
Asked if that agreement will take the shape of a two-tiered approach to curtailing shipping's carbon dioxide output, Dominguez said: "We are working on this."
A two-tiered approach posits an upper and a lower limit to the CO2 produced by ships. Ships falling between these two bands would have to pay for the pollution they produce. Ships coming under the lower limit would not.
The revenue stream generated under this system could go towards helping developing states to mitigate the impact of any increase in the cost of shipping that the system might produce as well as the effects of climate change.
IMO delegates were in working groups on Wednesday with the plenary session to restart on Thursday.
