MEPC78 GHG negotiations. Pacific stands steady on high ambition at IMO. Equitable Transition, Polluter Pays Principle and Highest Possible Ambition remain on the table.

The 78th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee at IMO in London concluded on Friday with growing consensus for a basket of measures, including the RMI/Solomon Islands GHG levy proposal, and increased ambition of at least 100% reduction in GHG emission targets by no later than 2050. Almost without exception, all delegations referenced the Pacific call for an Equitable Transition – one that leaves no state behind.

An intensifying negotiation timeline until MEPC80 in July 2023 has been set with three Inter-Sessional working groups confirmed and we are now planning to have full Pacific high ambition representation at all these face to face meetings over the next 12 months.

MEPC80 is the deadline for agreeing the Revised Strategy that will guide shipping’s decarbonisation agenda for the foreseeable future. At stake now is the disbursement of revenues, potentially trillions of dollars over the next 25 years, and how much will come to resourcing the adaptation and loss and damage needs of the climate vulnerable and how much will be spent subsidizing in-sector industry transition.

A disciplined and well-coordinated Pacific high ambition coalition continued to hold firm on the lines of 1.5 throughout MEPC78, ensuring the overarching concepts of Equitable Transition, Highest Possible Ambition and the Polluter Pays Principles are well embedded in the negotiating agenda.

For a summary of MEPC78 outcomes, please see this analysis from our colleagues at UMAS.

READ MORE: MEPC-78 Overview UMAS