Join our crew and become one of the 104,565 members that receive our newsletter.

IMO greenhouse gas emissions

Photo: By Eric Gevaert / Shutterstock

U.S. to Join Effort to Decarbonize Global Shipping

Reuters
Total Views: 1941
April 20, 2021

The United States will push the International Maritime Organization towards net zero emissions by 2050. In 2018, the IMO adopted an initial strategy seeking to reduce total annual GHG emissions from international shipping by a minimum of 50% by 2050, compared to 2008 levels. The initial strategy is set to be finalized in 2023.

By Valerie Volcovici

Reuters

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) – The United States will join an international effort to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in the global shipping industry, climate envoy John Kerry announced ahead of a summit of world leaders President Joe Biden will host this week.

“We’re going to look to the ocean to continue to help reduce pollution,” he told a conference hosted by the Ocean Conservancy on Tuesday.

The United States will join Saudi Arabia as the only two countries to formally pledge to work toward the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) greenhouse gas strategy.

The global sector emits 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, according to the Ocean Conservancy, on par with Germany’s annual emissions.

Kerry told the conference that the United States will help deploy the technologies needed to rapidly reduce the sector’s emissions.

“The technologies that we need to decarbonize shipping are known to us so they need investment and they need to be scaled up,” he said. “It’s incumbent on all nations to send a clear signal to the industry so they will make those investments in the near future”

European Union and British officials sent a letter to Biden in March urging the United States to address shipping emissions in its forthcoming climate plan under the 2015 Paris agreement and that responsibility for all ship emissions be split between the country of origin and country of destination.

The United States is expected to announce its new goal, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution, ahead of the summit.

The Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental group based in Washington, called on the Biden administration to commit to its own zero-emissions goal by 2035, saying that under international law the country can require all ships docking at domestic ports adhere to a clean shipping standard.

Jonathan Lewis, an attorney with environmental group the Clean Air Task Force, said having the United States engaged should help speed up efforts to make big changes in the sector. “We can decarbonize the sector by using zero-carbon fuels like hydrogen and ammonia, instead of dirty fuel oil, to power transoceanic vessels, but the shipping industry has been slow to make to the switch,” he said.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Jonathan Oatis and Lisa Shumaker)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021.

Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!

Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.

Sign Up
Back to Main
polygon icon polygon icon

Why Join the gCaptain Club?

Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.

Sign Up
close

JOIN OUR CREW

Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 104,565 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.

Join Our Crew

Join the 104,565 members that receive our newsletter.