Shipping not doing enough to curb CO2: UK lawmakers

Jonathan Saul, Reuters 1 Jun 09;

LONDON (Reuters) - The United Nations' shipping agency has not done enough to address carbon emissions from shipping, a panel of British lawmakers said on Monday.

The shipping industry accounts for about 3 percent of global CO2 emissions and there has been growing pressure on the sector to lower the amount it produces.

Shipping and aviation are the only industry sectors not regulated under the Kyoto Protocol, which sets targets for greenhouse gas emissions by rich countries from 2008-12.

The cross-party Environmental Audit Committee urged the British government in a report to show more leadership on climate change issues within the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization (IMO).

"We deplore the prevarication that has prevented global agreement on how to reduce emissions from international shipping," committee chairman Tim Yeo said.

"The shipping industry accepts the seriousness of climate change but has taken little or no action to cut its own emissions in absolute terms."

An IMO spokeswoman said its marine environment protection committee will meet in July to discuss greenhouse gas emissions from ships and would allow member states to address concerns.

The parliamentary committee said among its recommendations were that the government should work harder to secure the inclusion of international emissions from shipping within the European Union's climate change reduction targets.

"However, it should not wait for agreement at an EU or international level before taking action," it said.

A transport ministry spokesman said the government was committed to reducing the impact of transport on the environment.

"Emissions from shipping is a key part of this," he said. adding that the government would be pressing for international shipping emissions to be included in a new climate change deal in December at a summit in Copenhagen.

The UK Chamber of Shipping said given the complexities of tackling climate change, the industry could not "reasonably be expected to provide answers on its own."

"The industry is actively considering mechanisms to achieve global reductions," it said in a statement.

The chamber said shipping should not be "shoe-horned" into regional emissions schemes.

"We believe that international shipping emissions have to be treated as a separate entity -- like a country. This will mean assessing all emissions outside the context of individual countries and addressing them on a global basis through IMO."

MPs attack shipping industry's 'irresponsible' inaction on emissions
International Maritime Organisation also criticised as 'not fit for purpose' by Commons committee
John Vidal, guardian.co.uk 1 Jun 09;

The international shipping industry has acted irresponsibly in failing to address rapidly growing climate change emissions and the UN body that governs it is "not fit for purpose", according to an influential group of MPs.

Showing clear impatience at continuing lack of progress in cutting emissions, the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee said: "There can be no excuse for the lack of progress within the International Maritime Organisation since the Kyoto protocol was signed [in 2005]. That the IMO has yet to reach agreement even over the type of emissions control regime to take forward, let alone decide any details, suggests it is not fit for purpose in this vital area. None of the obstacles … [are] insurmountable. It is perfectly feasible to track the emissions of individual ships."

In addition, said the MPs, the government does not even know what Britain's share of global shipping emissions is and no one has accurately calculated the world total.

While other industries and many rich countries have been given targets and timetables to reduce emissions and are expected to trade carbon if they cannot reduce their own emissions, the shipping industry has escaped national and international legislation. According to an IMO study released in April on greenhouse gas emissions, levels are projected to double or even triple, unless measures to curb them are introduced.

"The emission of greenhouse gases from shipping is a serious problem for international climate change policy. They are growing and there is a risk of considerable delay before they are brought under control. It is no longer acceptable to argue that it is to hard to find an adequate basis for dealing with shipping emissions," said the report, which accepts an estimate that global emissions are around 3% of global CO2 emissions — more than the UK or Canada.

Launching the report, Reducing CO2 and other Emissions from Shipping, committee chairman, Tim Yeo MP, said: "We deplore the prevarication that has prevented global agreement on how to reduce emissions from international shipping. The industry accepts the seriousness of climate change but has taken little or no action to cut its own emissions in absolute terms. Meanwhile the government has failed to give this issue the attention it deserves.

"Emissions from shipping cannot be allowed to continue escalating in an uncontrolled manner. The UK needs to show more determined leadership on climate change issues within the International Maritime Organisation," he added.

The government has admitted that the current calculation of the UK's share of international shipping emissions was "an underestimate", the report from the EAC report said. "If the UK's share of these emissions lies at the upper end of the government's range of estimates then, overall, UK carbon emissions might not have gone down at all since 1990."

It also recommended that the government:

• Include shipping emissions in the EU's climate change reduction targets.

• Clarify its position on the use of emission trading for shipping.

• Accelerate research into low and zero-carbon propulsion systems.

• Consult on how to improve methods for calculating the UK's share of shipping emissions.

The IMO's April report suggested specific measures the industry could introduce to reduce emissions. These included operational measures that would increase efficiency and lead to emissions cuts of 25% to 75%. It also considered technical factors such as towing kites, speed reductions and upgrades to hulls, engines and propellers.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "The government is committed to reducing the impact of transport on the environment, and tackling emissions from shipping is a key part of this. We agree with the Environmental Audit Committee that the problem of carbon emissions needs to be tackled globally."

Last week, the transport secretary, Geoff Hoon, confirmed to the International Transport Forum that the government would be pressing for international shipping emissions to be included in a new climate change deal at Copenhagen in December