New research by InfluenceMap reveals how the shipping industry has aggressively lobbied the UN to obstruct climate change action for shipping, ensuring it remains the only sector in the world not currently subject to any emission reduction measures.

The report release comes as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN shipping body, this week negotiates its future climate change strategy. Without regulation, the European Parliament estimates the sector could be responsible for 17% of global greenhouse emissions by 2050, up from nearly 3% currently. This could threaten plans to keep global warming well below the 2C agreed at Paris in 2015.

Progress has been stalled by powerful shipping trade associations, with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) leading efforts to oppose action on climate change at the IMO. ICS, alongside BIMCO and the World Shipping Council, have collectively lobbied to delay implementation of any climate regulations until 2023 – even then refusing to support anything but voluntary regulations that may not reduce the sector’s overall greenhouse emissions.
The Paris Agreement committed the world to ambitious action on climate change, yet the shipping industry is not up to speed. It’s time to raise the anchor and seize the opportunity between now and 2020 to align with other industries and chart the course to well below 2C pathway. Christiana Figueres, Mission 2020.

This research has further uncovered that at the most recent IMO environmental committee meeting 31% of nations were represented in part by direct business interests. The IMO appears to be the only UN agency to allow such extensive corporate representation in the policy-making process.

However, some progressive corporate voices in the sector have recognised the need for a more ambitious stance on climate policy. Companies such as Denmark’s Maersk and Sweden’s Stena Line and national trade associations from those two countries appear supportive of action to decarbonise the shipping industry.

Source: InfluenceMap