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Tailwinds for new Atlantic ECA
Significant progress has recently been made towards the development of a new EmissionsControl Area (ECA) in the Atlantic, i.e. a special area designated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that regulates air pollution from shipping. This new ECA would, as a minimum, cover the EU countries with Atlantic coasts but could eventually cover non-EU coastal countries as well.
“The work is to be led by Portugal, which declared its intentions both during the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon and at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh,” said Carolina Silva, who represents the Portuguese NGO ZERO. She adds that “France and Spain have also issued a joint declaration following the XXVII Hispanic-French Summit, which, inter alia, supports the work to be launched on the Atlantic ECA”.
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has been asked to produce a report that will examine the effects of the ECA on emissions, health and economics. The pollutants expected to be addressed by the emission control area include SOx and NOx, as well as PM.
A group of NGOs from the countries involved in the ECA is closely monitoring the progress under the lead of ZERO.
Information on current ECAs can be found here: https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Environment/Pages/Special-Areas-Marpol.aspx