UN ship carbon emission ban stalls as rich and poor nations clash

CLIMATE change alarmist suffered a blow recently when strict carbon ship emission rules failed to pass at the UN`s International Maritime Organisation after the IMO`s one standard for all clashed with the Kyoto principle of freeing poor countries from costly compliance.

Thus, the meeting of the IMO`s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) ended without result dashing its hopes that delegates would approve mandatory technical and operational measures to reduce carbon emissions from ships.


Rich and poor countries are divided on the IMO`s equal treatment policy for all ships and the Kyoto Protocol`s "common but differentiated responsibilities" principle, in which responsibility for serious greenhouse gas emission reduction falls on rich countries alone.


Enforcers` hopes now lie with the MEPC meeting next July. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets in December in Cancun, Mexico, to draught a successor to Kyoto, but few expect progress, given the setbacks suffered climate change alarmists over the last year.


Progress was made on identifying suitable market based measures to incentivise shipping companies to reduce emissions, but adoption of such measures remains a long way off, reported London`s Containerisation International.