DURING crucial discussions held in London, latin American countries, led by Brazil, have strongly opposed the implementation of a tax on emissions within the global shipping sector, reports UK's Climate Home News.
The talks, hosted by the United Nations' shipping division, were not open to the media, but insight from six sources present in the room indicates that Latin American nations were the most vocal in their opposition to proposed taxes.
The shipping industry is responsible for three per cent of global emissions, which is comparable to Germany's emissions. Currently, the emissions resulting from the burning of shipping fuel remain untaxed.
Pacific nations such as the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands, which are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, have been at the forefront of advocating for a tax, also referred to as a levy, on shipping emissions.
They propose a price of US$100 per tonne of bunker fuel, which they argue could generate $60-80 billion in annual revenue. This amount would gradually decrease as the shipping sector adopts cleaner practices.
As journalists were not permitted to attend the discussions, Marshall Islands chief negotiator Albon Ishoda spoke to Climate Home in the lobby of the International Maritime Organisation.
Mr Ishoda emphasised that the shipping industry has a 'dirty past' and stressed its responsibility as a facilitator of global trade to transition towards a future aligned with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Governments now have until July 7 to make a decision on whether to impose a tax on emissions from the shipping sector.
It is noteworthy that shipping emissions are not currently included in the UN climate change talks.
SeaNews Turkey
The talks, hosted by the United Nations' shipping division, were not open to the media, but insight from six sources present in the room indicates that Latin American nations were the most vocal in their opposition to proposed taxes.
The shipping industry is responsible for three per cent of global emissions, which is comparable to Germany's emissions. Currently, the emissions resulting from the burning of shipping fuel remain untaxed.
Pacific nations such as the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands, which are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, have been at the forefront of advocating for a tax, also referred to as a levy, on shipping emissions.
They propose a price of US$100 per tonne of bunker fuel, which they argue could generate $60-80 billion in annual revenue. This amount would gradually decrease as the shipping sector adopts cleaner practices.
As journalists were not permitted to attend the discussions, Marshall Islands chief negotiator Albon Ishoda spoke to Climate Home in the lobby of the International Maritime Organisation.
Mr Ishoda emphasised that the shipping industry has a 'dirty past' and stressed its responsibility as a facilitator of global trade to transition towards a future aligned with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Governments now have until July 7 to make a decision on whether to impose a tax on emissions from the shipping sector.
It is noteworthy that shipping emissions are not currently included in the UN climate change talks.
SeaNews Turkey
