International shipping, which is responsible for 2.2% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, has so far been excluded from proposed cuts agreed at last year’s COP21 summit. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), which oversees pollution controls in the industry, expects the emissions produced by the sector to rise between 50% to 250% by 2050. Shipping now makes up around 2.2 percent of world emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming, and that share is forecast to rise dramatically if nothing is done to slow it. Emerging countries such as India and Brazil have thus far blocked any attempts to curb emissions. But a new report released on Tuesday suggests that shipping could be part of an alternative solution if governments are serious about tackling climate change. A meeting of the IMO’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee in October of this year will be the last opportunity for the sector to develop its own targets before COP-22 in November in Morocco.
International shipping, which is responsible for 2.2% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, has so far been excluded from proposed cuts agreed at last year’s COP21 summit. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), which oversees pollution controls in the industry, expects the emissions produced by the sector to rise between 50% to 250% by 2050. Emerging countries such as India and Brazil have thus far blocked any attempts to curb emissions. But a new report released on Tuesday suggests that shipping could be part of an alternative solution if governments are serious about tackling climate change. A meeting of the IMO’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee in October of this year will be the last opportunity for the sector to develop its own targets before COP-22 in November in Morocco.