New Zealand today released a statement at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Greenhouse Gas reduction strategy negotiations in London, urging IMO member states to work towards a meaningful and effective outcome in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

"With the end of the negotiations imminent, New Zealand urges the IMO not to miss this opportunity to adopt a workable and effective strategy to bring rising greenhouse gas emissions from shipping under control,” Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter said today."

"The IMO strategy needs to be ambitious with appropriate measures implemented as soon as possible and it needs to apply to all IMO member states and all ships equally, regardless of which state a ship is registered in."

"Halting climate change and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement requires countries to work together for fair and ambitious outcomes."

New Zealand was proud to sign the Tony de Brum declaration at the One Planet Summit held in Paris last December, confirming that international shipping must play a part in global climate action.

Read More

Posted on - 2018-04-09

Members of the International Maritime Organisation are divided on proposed targets to cut the sector's greenhouse gas emissions. The IMO will meet later this week in London where Pacific and European countries are seeking commitment to cut the sector's greenhouse gas emissions 70-100 percent from 2008 levels by 2050.

However a draft text circulating ahead of the meeting proposes only to half the industry's carbon footprint by 2050.

According to Climate Change News, countries such as Brazil, India and Saudi Arabia, are concerned about the impact of an absolute target on trade.

But countries like Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands warn the 50 percent level undermines the UN Paris Climate Agreement goal to hold global warming "well below 2C" and aim for 1.5C.

Read More

Posted on - 2018-04-08

Laurence Tubiana | European Climate Foundation

Climate, economic stability and the Paris Agreement are all at stake in London shipping talks this week

As U.N. talks on cutting greenhouse gases from the shipping industry open in London, there are concerns that a dangerous complacency is taking hold in the sector. 

The main point of the meeting - which starts this week at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London - is to define a response from the international shipping sector to the Paris Agreement. This is a commitment by all the world’s countries to reduce GHG emissions in order to avoid dangerous climate change – defined in the agreement as stabilising temperature rise well below 2C and pursuing efforts to limit to 1.5C.

Temperatures have already exceeded 1C, there is very little time now remaining to avoid risks which are existential for many countries, but damaging to all of global society. One of the central items of debate at IMO will be the discussion of its CO2 target or “level of ambition”. For this there are several proposals being considered. Only one of the proposals is close to being in line with the rate of GHG reduction that is necessary to achieve the Paris temperature goals – the 70-100 percent absolute reduction of emissions by 2050 (on 2008 levels) proposed by a collection of European and Pacific countries. 

Read More

Posted on - 2018-04-03