UNFCCC COP 24 Side Event: Sustainable maritime transport’s role in supporting global trade and development

Part II of this event will focus on the reduction of GHG emissions from international shipping and on climate change adaptation and mitigation for ports.

Update of IMO’s work to address GHG emissions from international shipping

Information will be provided on the regulatory activities of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) since the Paris Agreement, including:

1. adoption in April 2018 of the initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships including a vision and levels of ambition for international shipping.

2. approval in October 2018 of a programme of follow-up actions of the initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships up to 2023 including at MEPC 74 (May 2019) consideration of concrete proposals on candidate short-term measures and finalization of the procedure for assessing the impacts on States.

3. progress on implementation of the mandatory international regulations on energy efficiency for ships and an update on the important technical cooperation activities to support implementation. The perspective of the shipping industry will be presented by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

With an estimated 80 per cent of the volume of world trade carried by sea, international shipping and ports provide crucial linkages in global supply-chains and are essential for the ability of all countries, including those that are landlocked, to access global markets. Ports are likely to be affected directly and indirectly by climatic changes, such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events and rising temperatures, with broader implications for international trade and for the development prospects of the most vulnerable nations, in particular LDCs and SIDS.

UNCTAD will highlight the case for action, including in the context of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and provide an overview of its recent and ongoing work in support of climate change adaptation for transport infrastructure; this includes technical assistance with a focus on key coastal transport infrastructure in the Caribbean (https://SIDSport-ClimateAdapt.unctad.org), using innovative methodological approaches, which has helped inform the IPCC 1.5 degrees report, highlighting the risks of marine inundation for SIDS’ critical transportation infrastructure.