The intervention puts shipping emissions on the agenda for some fifty heads of state expected to attend president Emmanuel Macron’s anniversary meeting for the Paris climate agreement.
It will shine a spotlight on negotiations at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which are due to produce an initial climate strategy for shipping in April 2018.
A copy of the statement obtained by Climate Home News calls on the sector to do its bit to hold global warming “well below 2C” and aim for 1.5C.
“International shipping, like all other sectors of human activity, must take urgent action in consideration of these vital objectives for the future of the planet and of humanity,” it says.
That means peaking emissions “in the short term” and reaching carbon neutrality “towards the second half of this century”. The language is significantly stronger than the “aspirational” targets proposed by industry groups.
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Marshall Islands president Hilda Heine has taken up his campaign, claiming the world’s second largest registry is on her side. On the sidelines of UN climate talks in Bonn last month, she said “disappointingly little progress” had been made at the IMO, adding: “Ambitious climate action and sustainable growth of the shipping sector are both possible. And both are essential.”
Talks at the IMO to date have been tense, with a handful of European and island states calling for high ambition, while major emerging economies raise concerns about the cost. The likes of Brazil have argued rich and poor countries have different responsibilities when it comes to addressing climate change – including in the shipping sector.
The declaration implicitly rejects that argument, saying the strategy should “equally apply to all ships regardless of their flag”. It adds, though, that “disproportionate impacts” on small island states and the poorest countries should be addressed.
Read more at Macron Summit to Launch Call for Shipping to Meet Paris Climate Goals
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