Workshop: How can international shipping contribute to climate protection?
Tomorrow Oeko-Institut is holding a workshop in Brussels on proposals for instruments to reduce GHG emissions from maritime transport. Its aim is to present and discuss the proposals made by the EU, Japan, the USA and Germany to enhance the energy efficiency of international shipping. The discussion will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of the various proposals as well as on their potential to contribute to global decarbonization. The proposals will be presented by experts of the pro-posing Parties.
The workshop brings together representatives of Member States, Parties, business associations, non-governmental organizations and shipping companies who are involved or interested in the negotiations within the scope of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC). It is held tomorrow, 12 September 2014, in Brussels at the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union.
Agenda of the workshop
Time | Agenda |
9:45 h | Registration & Coffee Please allow some extra time for the security check at the entrance. |
10:15 h | Welcome note by the Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU Ambassador Dr. Guido Peruzzo |
10:30 h | Environmental challenges for maritime transport Deputy Director-General Dr. Norbert Salomon, Directorate Immission Control, Safety of Installations and Transport, German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUB) |
10:45 h | Jasper Faber, CE Delft |
11:30 h | How should the GHG emissions of ships be reduced? Proposals to the IMO from different perspectives |
Individual Ship Performance Indicator (ISPI) by the European Commission Carlos Pereira, European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) | |
Energy Efficiency Operational Index (EEOI) by Japan Hideaki Saito, Director for International Regulations, Safety Standards Division, Maritime Bureau at Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | |
12:30 h | Lunch |
13:30 h | How should the GHG emissions of ships be reduced? Proposals to the IMO from different perspectives (continued) |
Proposal to enhance energy efficiency in international shipping by the United States Kim Carnahan, State Department | |
Fuel Oil Reduction Strategy (FORS) by Germany Nina Tavakkoli, German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) | |
14:30 h | Coffee break |
15:00 h | Where are we sailing to? Comparative evaluation of the four proposals Dagmar Nelissen, CE Delft GHG emissions targets for international shipping Dr. Martin Cames, Öko-Institut |
16:15 h | Closing remarks Dr. Sabine Lattemann, German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUB) |
The journalist Sonja van Renssen facilitates the workshop. The latter is part of the project entitled “Analysis and further development of climate protection measures of sea shipping taking into account current developments at European and international level” (FKZ 3711 45 104). This project is funded by the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and is being carried out by Öko-Institut (coordination), CE Delft and Tim Bäuerle LL. M.
Climate protection in the international shipping sector
International shipping currently gives rise to more than 2 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Without policy measures, it is to be expected that the GHG emissions from international shipping will double or even triple by 2050 compared to 2010. International climate policy aims to limit the global temperature increase to 2 degrees centigrade, which would require a rapid decrease in total emissions. Against this background, the question is whether the projected growth of shipping emissions is sustainable.
This projected increase is expected to occur despite rising fuel prices and the availability of operational and technological measures to reduce the specific fuel consumption of ships. Although several of these measures can be regarded as cost-effective, their introduction is presumably hampered by market barriers, such as split incentives (ship owners have to make the investments while operators benefit from fuel savings).
In 2011, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), a mandatory design standard for new ships, which could reduce the sector’s emissions by up to a third by 2050 compared to the situation without this standard. However, since the demand for maritime transport is projected to increase rapidly, total emissions will continue to increase. Various proposals have therefore been made within the scope of the IMO to address, for example, the energy efficiency of the existing fleet and incentivize the uptake of technical and operational measures.
For more information see the special “More climate protection in the shipping sector” on Oeko-Institut’s website
Contact at Oeko-Institut:
Verena Graichen
Senior Researcher in Energy & Climate Division
Oeko-Institut, Berlin office
Phone: +49 30 405085-370
Email: v.graichen@oeko.de
Friedhelm Keimeyer
Researcher in Environmental Law & Governance Division
Oeko-Institut, Berlin office
Phone: +49 30 405085-308
Email: f.keimeyer@oeko.de