The delegates at the IMO failed to agree upon actions to regulate the shipping industry in line with Paris Agreement targets, which they had agreed to decide upon in 2018. 

Weak enforcement over IMO laws in the recent oil spill in Mauritius spurred protests and highlighted the weaknesses of the IMO, which may lead to fractures in the organization along socio-political/economic faults.

• To meet the 1.5C scenario as scientists have argued for and was included in the Paris Agreement, carbon emissions from shipping need to be reduced to 350 million a year, a reduction of 75% within a decade.
• To meet the less ambitious 2018 ‘historic agreement’ for shipping, emissions only need to be reduced by 15% to reach 850 million tons a year by 2030.
• If nothing was done at all, global carbon dioxide emissions would actually increase by 15% by 2030.
• And so the outcomes of this week’s talks show carbon dioxide emissions increasing by 14% by 2030 (with weak enforcement) rather than being forced to come down.

The Paris Agreement showed the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. 1) Ships would need to become more efficient with existing fuel systems, and 2) Within ten years, new ships need to be produced at commercial scale using alternative fuels to enable the switch to alternative energy sources than fossil fuels.

The IMO failed to make progress on its own climate strategy requiring these actions.


Details on the week's proceedings are available at the link below:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nishandegnarain/2020/10/24/global-shippings-un-climate-talks-fail-amid-threats-of-a-walkout/#105171443897