Marshall Islands Urges Cap on Shipping Emissions

The tiny South Pacific nation is the world's third biggest shipping registry, but is increasingly threatened by rising sea levels linked to climate change. Now the Islands is using its position as the world's third largest shipping registry to call on the IMO to set a new global target for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping, a growing sector currently left out of international climate negotiations.

The Marshall Island’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tony de Brum said: "“The goal of keeping global temperature rise under 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius requires action from all countries, and all sectors of the global economy."

"International shipping must be part of the action. While the sector currently contributes only 2-3 per cent of global emissions, its projected growth is a real cause for concern. Without urgent action, it is estimated that the sector could soon account for between 6 and 14 percent of global emissions – as much as the entire European Union emits today,” he said.

According the release, de Brum intends to present a submission to the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in London in May of 2015, requesting the IMO to set new emissions targets for shipping.

The Marshall Islands government has set a domestic transport efficiency target amounting to a 20 per cent cut in the use of fossil fuels by 2020 and is looking to reduce the impact of its international registry.