July 7 (UPI) — Countries of the International Maritime Organization on Friday adopted new greenhouse gas emissions strategies for shipping that set a net zero emissions target by about the middle of the century.
All 175 states agreed to to reach net zero emissions by or close to 2050, taking into account different national circumstances. IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said that the new strategy was a monumental development.
“At the same time, it is not the end goal, it is in many ways a starting point for the work that needs to intensify even more over the years and decades ahead of us,” Lim said in a statement. “However, with the Revised Strategy that you have now agreed on, we have a clear direction, a common vision, and ambitious targets to guide us to deliver what the world expects from us.”
Specifically, the countries agreed to strengthen the energy efficiency design requirements for ships, to reduce emissions per transport, and to increase the usage of zero emissions technologies.
The plan is expected to reduce the total amount of emissions from shipping by at least 20 percent by 2030, and at least 70 percent by 2040.
