SOLOMON ISLANDS JOIN PACIFIC NEIGHBOURS TO LEAD SHIPPING’S CLIMATE CHANGE DEBATE
Solomon
Islands this week has joined other Pacific Island States to lead the Shipping
Industry debate on Climate Change in London.
Global
attention on climate change is focused this week on the role of shipping as the
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) meets in London.
Compared
to a country, the shipping’s emissions are similar to that of Germany or Japan.
These emissions are projected to grow to equivalent of all of Europe’s
emissions by 2050. This would undermine all international efforts to achieve a
1.5 degree target.
Pacific
States, led by Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands with support from Fiji and
Tonga have been actively calling on the IMO to take urgent and ambitious action
to develop a clear work plan for reduction of shipping’s contribution to
climate change causing emissions.
Early
last year, Marshall Islands is the only submitter on this critical issue.
Shipping was not included in the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change in
December.
But
this week, there are a record number of submissions from states and industry as
to how the sector can determine its fair share of responsibility. The IMO is
highly conscious that a global spotlight is now focused on its actions.
This
week, the IMO’s Maritime Environment Committee has agreed to form a Working
Group to report back on the options by the end of the meeting.
Solomon
Islands, Marshall Islands and Tonga are leading a growing Coalition of High
Ambition within the IMO with large and small states to press for immediate and
decisive action in this working group.
In
this week’s historic meeting, they were strongly supported from the floor by
Fiji and Vanuatu.
“Urgency
and Ambition must be our watchwords today” was the advice of Solomon Islands
Ambassador Moses Mose to the Committee Chair this week.
Ambassador
Mose also repeated Hon, Tony de Brum’s message to the IMO in April 2015, “In
this cause, time is not our friend”.
The
Industry, long criticized for its slow response, is now coming onboard with
many of shipping’s lobby groups recognising that it is the industry’s best
interest to ensure a measured and responsible pathway to a low carbon future is
planned out.
Failure
to achieve this now will only result in greater pressure on the industry in the
future.
The
Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) continues to play a strong role in
coordinating technical support to Pacific delegations on this critical and
complex issue in partnership with USP’s researchers and their colleagues in
leading European Universities.
It
is an issue the PIDF has championed since its first Summit in 2013.
A
statement from the PIDF this week said, “Despite their small size, Pacific
States and Leaders are again leading positive action on the world stage and
demonstrating they can punch well above their weight”.
ENDS///
Source: Government Communication
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