EU to monitor shipping emissions

Global steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping are moving too slowly, so the EU has for some time been considering different options to cut shipping emissions, such as a fuel or carbon taxes, mandatory emission reductions per ship or inclusion in the emission trading system (ETS).

As a starting point towards a globally-agreed market-based solution, the Commission is now expected to propose the establishing of a system for monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions based on fuel consumption.

Environmental groups were disappointed by the Commission’s plan, saying monitoring did not address the main issue of reducing emissions from ships. International shipping accounts for around three per cent of the world’s emissions of carbon dioxide, and this share could rise to 18 percent by 2050 if regulation is not in place, according to the International Maritime Organization.

Source: PlanetArk, 2 October 2012.

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