Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST) Blog

Andrew Irvin is the Project Officer at the Micronesian Centre for Sustainable Transport This week, the Intersessional Working Group on GHG Emissions (ISWG-GHG 10) of the International Maritime Organization is underway. As broader diplomatic discussions turn towards preparations for COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland from the 31st October to November 12th, the IMO is holding its 77th Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting from 22nd-26th November , where proposals of monumental importance for Fiji and the rest of the region are to be brought to debate. It is crucial that Fiji approach the MEPC dialogues with the same attention and resources as the UNFCCC meetings customarily receive, particularly given the disproportionate impact the shipping industry and its associated emissions have on Pacific Island Countries.  Both ISWG-GHG 10 and MEPC 77 will be focusing on the role that market-based measures (MBM) can play in the implementation of the IMO initial greenhouse gas strategy.

  Maria Sahib (Consultant), Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST), USP The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, will be hosted by the United Kingdom in Glasgow. It is the most important COP meeting to be held since the 2015 meeting that gave rise to the Paris Agreement. Recent policy announcements from John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, have shown there will be a significant focus on the shipping industry. To bridge the gap, the collective efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will need to improve significantly in the next months and during COP26 to include a strong reinforcement of policy interventions to limit GHG emissions; some profound economic transformations in the fossil fuel consuming sectors (power generation, transport, manufacturing activities, buildings, etc.); a massive asset reallocation, with key implications for investors globally in rela