EMEA News
European Parliament Approves CO2 Reporting Law
The European Parliament's Environment Committee has today approved a law mandating the monitoring and publication by shippers of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions data, but the law is "weak" according to an emailed statement by sustainable transport lobbyist Transport & Environment (T&E).
It is understood the law requires shippers in the European Union (EU) to measure and report on three key areas of each ship's performance, including its Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), its actual fuel consumption, and its "energy efficiency," being fuel consumption divided by cargo weight.
T&E said that the law does not go far enough since there will be no target for CO2 reductions, nor any requirement to monitor levels of other pollutants such as sulfur or nitrogen oxides.
The publication of ships' real energy efficiency will provide shipping users in Europe and worldwide with transparent data to identify the most efficient ships and practices," T&E conceded, however.
"This can trigger a virtuous cycle of increased competition among operators, which will enable fuel savings and emissions reductions."
According to the report, global shipping is responsible for over 3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, with European shippers contributing around 180 million tonnes of CO2 in 2010.
"This measure is a stepping stone for an eventual measure to actually require emissions reductions, which is what is urgently needed," said Sotiris Raptis, T&E's Clean Shipping Officer.
Shipowners' trade association the International Chamber of Shipping recently said it is "disappointed and concerned" at the move.
