IMO continues to contribute to the global fight against climate change, in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 13, to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
IMO has adopted mandatory measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping, under IMO’s pollution prevention treaty (MARPOL) – the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) mandatory for new ships, and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP).
In 2018, IMO adopted an initial IMO strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, setting out a vision that confirms IMO’s commitment to reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and to phasing them out as soon as possible.
Image Credits: imo.org
IMO is also executing global technical cooperation projects to support the capacity of States, particularly developing States to implement and support energy efficiency in the shipping sector.
Click on the image on the right to view and download a PDF leaflet on IMO Action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping, including a timeline.
Below you will find some frequently asked questions about IMO’s work to reduce GHG emissions from shipping.
A detailed historical overview of IMO’s work can be found here.
What are the next steps in implementing the GHG strategy?
In October 2018 (MEPC 73), IMO approved a follow-up programme, intended to be used as a planning tool in meeting the timelines identified in the initial IMO strategy. The streams of activity identified in the programme of follow-up actions include:
- candidate short-term measures (Group A) that can be considered and addressed under existing IMO instruments;
- candidate short-term measures (Group B) that are not work in progress and are subject to data analysis;
- candidate short-term measures (Group C) that are not work in progress and are not subject to data analysis;
- candidate mid-/long-term measures and action to address the identified barriers;
- impacts on States;
- Fourth IMO GHG Study – initiated in 2019;
- capacity-building, technical cooperation, research and development; and
- follow-up actions towards the development of the revised Strategy – set to be adopted in 2023.
Member States have been invited to submit concrete proposals on candidate short-term and mid-term measures to the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC). The MEPC is the decision-making body. The MEPC usually establishes a Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, which meets during each MEPC session and reports to the plenary of the Committee.
To help move forward with the implementation of the initial GHG strategy, intersessional meetings of the working group are also held.
The sixth meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships is being held 11-15 November 2019.
The seventh meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships will be held 23-30 March 2020. This is just before and back to back with the next Committee session, MEPC 75 (30 March to 3 April 2020).
Reference: imo.org
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