The climate and shipping
The Danish Maritime Authority strives to reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from ships. The work is being carried out within international as well as wihtin national frameworks.
United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Internationally, Denmark works actively together with member States and industry organisations to develop binding, global and flag-neutral regulations to reduce GHG missions from international shipping in the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The IMO strives to develop technical, operational and market-based measures in order to ensure future regulations on reducing GHG emissions from international shipping. An important part of Denmark’s work in the IMO consists in developing concrete proposals for specific globally binding and flag-neutral IMO regulations, aiming at reducing GHG emissions from ships in international trade in both the short and the long term.
Denmark has submitted three specific proposals to the IMO. Firstly, Denmark has proposed nine fundamental principles on which the IMO has already decided to base future regulations of GHG emissions from international shipping. The nine principles mainly imply that future regulations must contribute effectively to reducing total global GHG emissions and that future regulations must be globally binding and applicable to ships regardless of flag. Secondly, Denmark has proposed an Energy Efficiency Design Index aiming at, in the future, design requirements will be made on new ships during the construction phase so that new ships will be energy efficient. Finally, Denmark has presented a specific market-based proposal on an International GHG Fund in order to introduce a global GHG contribution on bunker fuel to ships engaged in international trade. The GHG contribution will be paid to an International GHG Fund with the view, among other things, to finance climate purposes in developing countries.
At the 59th session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee, MEPC 59, which was held on 13-17 July 2009, a wide number of member States and industry organisations supported the market-based proposal on an International GHG Fund or futher development thereof. Furthermore, a work plan for the further consideration of market-based measures in the IMO was agreed upon. Finally, the efforts made to reach agreement on an Energy Efficiency Design Index proved to be successful.
The next substantial discussions of future regulations will take place at the next MEPC session to be held in March 2010.
United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Within the EU, Denmark strives to set an overall global reduction target for GHG emissions from international shipping in a new global climate agreement in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is expected to be agreed at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP 15, to be held in Copenhagen on 7-18 December 2009.
Read more about the work on the IMO proposals here.
Go to the COP15 website here.
Partnership on climate responsibility in the Blue Denmark
Nationally, the Danish Maritime Authority cooperates with companies, shipowners and research and educational institutions to reduce GHG emissions from shipping. An important part of this work consists in creating improved framework conditions for research, development, demonstration and innovation.
As part of this work, a Partnership on Climate Responsibility for the Blue Denmark has been established with the Danish Maritime Authority as chairman.
Read about more about the project Green Ship of the Future here.
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