Shipping excluded from latest COP21 draft

The latest draft text of the COP21 climate talks, released on Thursday December 9, 2015, has failed to make any mention of the shipping industry, provoking criticism from environmental and government bodies.

The previous version of the text included the excerpt: “[Parties [shall][should][other] pursue the limitation or reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation and marine bunker fuels, working through the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), respectively, with a view to agreeing concrete measures addressing these emissions, including developing procedures for incorporating emissions from international aviation and marine bunker fuels into low-emission development strategies.]”

Olaf Merk, administrator for ports and shipping at the International Transport Forum, at the OECD, told CM: “This is a contentious issue, especially between the Pacific Island States and the EU on the one side and G77 countries [a loose coalition of developing nations across Latin America, Africa and Asia] on the other side.”