ICS slams EU emissions trading plan for international shipping
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), a global trade association for shipowners, has said that emissions trading is not appropriate for international shipping and is mostly comprised of small-and-medium-sized enterprises that typically operate with less than 10 ships, American Shipper reported.
The organisation said that a proposal by the European Parliament Environment Committee to incorporate international shipping into the European Union's carbon dioxide trading system will polarise and impede current discussions on additional CO2 reduction measures at the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).
ICS director of policy and external relations Simon Bennett said that nations outside of the EU will be disappointed and very concerned by a vote by the committee. The Parliament had said in a press release: "In the absence of a comparable system operating under the IMO, CO2 emissions in EU ports and during voyages to and from them should be accounted for."
Members of Parliament said they "propose setting up a fund to compensate for maritime emissions, improve energy efficiency, facilitate investments in innovative technologies and reduce CO2 emissions from the sector. Revenues from auctioning of allowances in the aviation sector would be used for climate action in the EU and third countries."
Mr Bennett said the action follows the IMO's adoption of a comprehensive road map for action just a few weeks ago.
"We hope that EU governments and the European Commission will see sense and recognise that threats to their trading partners will not serve the development of the global solution, which both they and the shipping industry want and need," he said.
In addition, he said the ICS "is confident that IMO member states, most of which are developing nations, will adopt a CO2 reduction strategy in 2018 that will include ambitious CO2 reduction goals and the development of a mechanism for delivery. But threats of EU unilateral action will do nothing to help this complex process."
The ICS emissions trading was primarily developed for industries such as power generation, and cement and steel production, the ICS said.
Mr Bennett said the EU emissions trading system (ETS) "has been an abject failure. Its unilateral application to global shipping would create market distortion while generating trade disputes with China and other Asian nations, as happened when the EU tried unsuccessfully to impose its ETS on international aviation."
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), a global trade association for shipowners, has said that emissions trading is not appropriate for international shipping and is mostly comprised of small-and-medium-sized enterprises that typically operate with less than 10 ships, American Shipper reported.
The organisation said that a proposal by the European Parliament Environment Committee to incorporate international shipping into the European Union's carbon dioxide trading system will polarise and impede current discussions on additional CO2 reduction measures at the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).
ICS director of policy and external relations Simon Bennett said that nations outside of the EU will be disappointed and very concerned by a vote by the committee. The Parliament had said in a press release: "In the absence of a comparable system operating under the IMO, CO2 emissions in EU ports and during voyages to and from them should be accounted for."
Members of Parliament said they "propose setting up a fund to compensate for maritime emissions, improve energy efficiency, facilitate investments in innovative technologies and reduce CO2 emissions from the sector. Revenues from auctioning of allowances in the aviation sector would be used for climate action in the EU and third countries."
Mr Bennett said the action follows the IMO's adoption of a comprehensive road map for action just a few weeks ago.
"We hope that EU governments and the European Commission will see sense and recognise that threats to their trading partners will not serve the development of the global solution, which both they and the shipping industry want and need," he said.
In addition, he said the ICS "is confident that IMO member states, most of which are developing nations, will adopt a CO2 reduction strategy in 2018 that will include ambitious CO2 reduction goals and the development of a mechanism for delivery. But threats of EU unilateral action will do nothing to help this complex process."
The ICS emissions trading was primarily developed for industries such as power generation, and cement and steel production, the ICS said.
Mr Bennett said the EU emissions trading system (ETS) "has been an abject failure. Its unilateral application to global shipping would create market distortion while generating trade disputes with China and other Asian nations, as happened when the EU tried unsuccessfully to impose its ETS on international aviation."