Both protestors and representatives from Pacific Island Countries have been vocally demanding international representatives reject the watered down emissions reduction proposal being put forward by the IMO
A symbolic fire-burning Viking funerary ceremony outside the IMO’s Headquarters in London took place on Sunday, Nov. 15 to highlight the failure of the global shipping sector to meet targets in-line with the emissions reductions required by the Paris Climate Agreement.
The proposals tabled for this week's MEPC meeting at the IMO have been universally criticized by all major environmental groups for reneging on both the Paris Agreement as well as the voluntary reduction targets agreed at the IMO in 2018.
Ambassador Albon Ishoda from the Marshall Islands said, “We as the Republic of the Marshall Islands will call to reject the short-term measure proposal up for adoption next week in the MEPC as it fails to reduce emissions before 2023, it will not peak emissions as soon as possible, and it will not set ship CO2 emissions on a pathway consistent with the Paris Agreement 1.5C goal. We call on all countries who signed the Tony de Brum Declaration to reject this proposal as a measure incapable of achieving our long-term climate goals in the IMO”.
Forty nations signed the Tony de Brum Declaration in December, 2017 to reduce shipping emissions to stay within the Paris Agreement. It was made at the 'One Planet' Summit held in France. This declaration was largely credited with the deal over 100 countries voted to approve in 2018, committing global shipping to remain within the emissions targets set by the Paris Agreement by 2050.
For additional details on the issues at stake this week at the MEPC meeting of the IMO, please read the extensive feature linked below: