Debate on emissions underway at International Maritime Organisation

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. The Marshall Islands/Solomon Islands proposal for an MBM at an entry price of US$100 per tonne of CO2 has shifted the debate tremendously. A year ago, such a measure was considered beyond the scope of action for the industry, but following additional submissions from Norway and the International Chamber of Shipping, the dialogue is no longer about whether or not an MBM should be established, but about how it will function, the scale of pricing, and the mechanisms for managing the billions of dollars it will be certain to collect. Coupled with the Marshall Islands/Solomon Islands/Kiribati proposal to increase the ambition of the IMO from its initial GHG strategy target for 50% reductions by 2050 to full decarbonisation of the sector, Pacific Island Countries are leading the charge in demanding high ambition to tackle the imminent threats posed by climate change. 

Fiji is now presented with an opportunity to join its Pacific Island neighbours in leading this charge. The IMO and UNFCCC dialogues of the coming month have the opportunity to shift the shipping industry from a businessas-usual forecast to an equitably financed arrangement providing Pacific Island Countries with the resources needed to transform domestic shipping without leaving nations further beholden to external donors or lenders.

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