UN shipping agency says climate targets are ‘top priority’

The International Maritime Organization is planning to announce an historic emissions reduction target in April, according to the newly appointed Secretary-General Kitack Lim.

The IMO, a specialised agency of the United Nations, is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping.

The agency will consider setting a landmark greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for the sector this year, Lim told the media.

Lim took over as the head of the IMO from Japan’s Koji Sekimizu on 1 January, and said; “Contributing to the fight against climate change is a top priority for IMO… alongside maritime safety and security and the prevention of pollution into the marine environment from ships.”

Shipping accounts for about 3 per cent of global GHG emissions and, according to estimates, this will reach 6-15 per cent by 2050 if the sector fails to take action.

In December, 195 UN member states signed up to the Paris Agreement at the COP21 climate summit with the aim of curbing emissions and limiting dangerous global warming but the deal did not directly include international shipping.

In 2015, the IMO’s environmental committee rejected a motion to consider an emissions reduction target but the topic is expected to be raised again at the committee’s next meeting in April.

The IMO is currently focusing on two initiatives to assist developing countries in delivering on energy efficiency regulations.

GloMEEP is a partnership with the Global Environment Facility, and the agency is also prioritising a €10 million global network of technology centres funded by the European Commission.

Lim said: “Through these activities, and others, IMO will be helping to transfer know-how to those countries that need it… this, increasingly, will be the Organization’s focus in the future, as IMO looks to play a leading role in the drive towards a sustainable maritime sector.”