IMO lays down new green shipping measures
One small step for the United Nations. One giant leap for the safeguarding of our planet.
In an unprecedented move by the U.N. last Friday, the agency ruled that global merchant marine shipping companies must meet energy efficiency standards and cut down on carbon pollution.
The decision by the International Maritime Organization is looking to remedy the fuel source for many of the world’s largest freighters, which run on bunker fuels, which are some of the most heavily polluting oils in the world.
According to the International Maritime Organization, 2.7 percent of global carbon emissions in 2007 where from shipping, but that number could double or even triple by the middle of this century if no action is taken.
The best part of the new shipping regulations is that solutions for the problem will be up to the ship builders, which should pave the way for innovation in the ocean freight industry.
“As long as the required energy-efficiency level is attained, ship designers and builders would be free to use the most cost-efficient solutions for the ship to comply with the regulations,” the regulation said.
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The new rules stipulate that new ships built in the first five years after 2015 would have to improve fuel efficiency by 10 percent, and would be further tightened every five years after that.
The IMO is aiming for a 30 percent reduction by 2030 from the averages of ships built between 1999 and 2009.
There are still problems with the measures taken by the International Maritime Organization, as those opposed are worried that the new measure is not enough in that existing ships are not bound to the green agreement.
“There will be no change to existing ships, which are currently pumping a billion tons of carbon dioxide each year,” Jacquilne Savitz of the nonprofit Oceana told The Washington Post.
