A Comeback of Wind Power in Shipping: An Economic and Operational Review on the Wind-Assisted Ship Propulsion Technology.  Todd Chou, Vasileios Kosmas, Michele Acciaro, and, Katharina Renken  relook at the data to confirm and remind us what we know about Wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP) technology as a sustainable model to decarbonisation in shipping. A study that the public and private sector will need to know to move forward.   Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1880; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041880

Abstract

 

Posted on - 2021-07-14

Climate strategy in the balance who decides?.  Michael Prehn Department of Organization, Copenhagen Business School, Kilevej 14A, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark

Journal of Marine Policy 131 (2021) 104621

Abstract: Climate change and impact mitigation is central to the shipping industry. Targets and standards that aim to reduce emissions and mitigate impact will apply either to all ships or to certain ship types or ship activities. The impact of this regulatory agenda on maritime activities is heavily dependent on international conventions and decisions taken at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Some scholars have pointed to the undue influence of firms on the IMO via ‘corporate capture’. Mainstream scholarship assumes that decisive influence comes from powerful states. This article deploys a polycentric approach to argue that governance outcomes are often a function of the particularities of the negotiating process as opposed to the characteristics and resources of the negotiating parties.

Posted on - 2021-06-24

Climate governance, policy entrepreneurs and small states: explaining policy change at the International Maritime Organisation Jack Corbetta, Mélodie Ruwetb, Yi-Chong Xub and Patrick Weller School of Economic, Political and Social Sciences University of Southampton, UK; School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS
https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2019.1705057

ABSTRACT
The Marshall Islands (RMI) is one of the world’s smallest sovereign states, which should mean they are peripheral to global climate negotiations. Yet, they have recently played a crucial role in negotiating the Paris Agreement and emissions reductions at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The success at Paris is well documented. Here we explain how they also acted as successful policy entrepreneurs at the IMO. Specifically, we find that RMI’s success can be explained by three factors: vision of the entrepreneur; development of capacity within RMI and the region, and commitment of key actors to create and seize opportunities in available forums, to realise that vision; and strategies to mobilise broader international support. These findings have implications for the literatures on policy entrepreneurship in climate governance and studies that highlight the capacity of small states to influence international affairs. 

Posted on - 2021-06-24