London (AFP)
The United Kingdom, organizer in November in Glasgow of the COP26, the world climate conference, pleaded Monday for the reduction to zero of maritime transport emissions at the global level by 2050 and the entry into service of non-vessels. pollutants in 2025.
"The United Kingdom supports a goal of reducing global emissions from maritime transport to zero by 2050," the Department for Transport said in a statement on Monday.
"This would be a significant increase in the ambition of a sector which today represents 3% of global emissions," the statement continued, adding that such a target should be adopted through the International Maritime Organization ( IMO), a specialized UN organization based in London.
After a week of negotiations, the IMO in June adopted new rules aimed at reducing pollution caused by ships, but progress was considered modest by NGOs.
The members of the organization had thus recorded an 11% reduction in the carbon intensity of ships between 2023 and 2026 and no objective had been set for the years 2027-2030, far from the IMO reduction strategy of 40% by 2030 compared to 2008.
This moderate position was supported by a large number of states including China, Argentina, Chile, the United Arab Emirates, India, Panama, and Singapore.
Seaforth quay in the port of Liverpool, March 17, 2021 Paul ELLIS AFP / Archives
The UK's announcement comes as International Maritime Transport Week opens Monday in the British capital, an event aimed at shipping professionals and which London wants to place under the banner of sustainable development.
The United Kingdom hopes to see "zero emission" ships enter commercial service in its waters by 2025, the result of collaboration with the sector "which will open the possibility of crossing the Channel" less polluting in the next ten years.
The United Kingdom, which has set itself a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, unveiled in July a roadmap to green transport, including a ban in 2040 on the sale of new gasoline and diesel trucks .
For air transport, the government has set itself the goal of achieving carbon neutrality for domestic flights and all airports in England by 2040, and for international flights by 2050.
© 2021 AFP