Yahoo News 10 Mar 09;
ATHENS (AFP) – Greece and China's merchant navies joined forces to resist compulsory greenhouse gas reductions targets for the lucrative sector, the Greek shipping ministry said on Tuesday.
The two sides agreed that proposals by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) "must first be applied on a voluntary basis and must only become binding in the long term," the ministry said in a statement.
Binding measures could be introduced only "after a trial period and if it is proved that they are necessary," it added.
The statement was released after a meeting between the general secretary of the shipping ministry, Ioannis Tzoannos, and a high-level Chinese delegation led by top shipping official Le Kejun.
The European Union and other countries have called for the IMO to act against global warming, amid worldwide moves to coordinate the fight against the process which scientists say poses a grave threat to the global climate.
The shipping and airline industries are not covered by the Kyoto Protocol, the world treaty for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Negotiations are under way for an agreement to replace the protocol when they expire in 2012.
Greece's shipping fleet is the biggest in the world, while China is considered the second biggest global polluter. The two agreed in November to boost cooperation on shipping Chinese goods to the EU.
