O D t D bOceans Day at DurbanUN Climate Change Conference (COP 17 / CMP 7)g ( )

3 December 2011

S i 4 P M j OSession 4 – Progress on Major Oceansand Climate Issues

Curbing Air Pollution from Ships,Geo-engineering Issuesg g

JO Espinoza-FerreyDi t M i E i t Di i iDirector, Marine Environment Division

International Maritime Organization

Briefly IMOBriefly – IMO

• Convention adopted by UN Maritime Conference in 1948 IMO established in 1959Obj ti t l t t h i l t f i t ti l• Objective: to regulate technical aspects of international shipping, e.g. safety of life at sea and of navigation

• Today: 170 Member States; with some 50 IGOs and 90• Today: 170 Member States; with some 50 IGOs and 90 NGOs contributing actively to all of its work

• 53 global treaty instruments – no less than 21• 53 global treaty instruments – no less than 21 exclusively on environmental protection

• Objective today: safe, secure, environmentally sound,Objective today: safe, secure, environmentally sound, efficient and sustainable shipping

Curbing air pollution from shipsCurbing air pollution from ships• Earth Summit 1992: Agenda 21 chapter 17 on oceansEarth Summit 1992: Agenda 21, chapter 17 on oceans,

contains 20 action points concerning:– protection of the marine environment from shipping, dumping,

offshore sector and ports;– pollution in international straits;

anti fouling paints– anti-fouling paints– pollution preparedness and response

• All but one item (nuclear ships) addressed throughAll but one item (nuclear ships) addressed, through regulatory AND capacity building work

• Paragraph 17.11 invited IMO to address air pollution g p pfrom ships

Curbing air pollution from shipsCurbing air pollution from ships• MARPOL – principal IMO Convention on prevention ofMARPOL principal IMO Convention on prevention of

ship-generated pollution – five Annexes (oil, chemicals, packaged goods, sewage, garbage)

• Annex VI – Regulations to prevent air pollution from ships, adopted in 1997 (a few months before KP) with entry into force in 2005

• Dealt only with air pollutants (SOx, NOx, ODS), limiting th i i i f hi ’ h ttheir emission from ships’ exhaust

• GHGs were deliberately left out, given KP negotiationsB t IMO C f l d t d l ti lli• But IMO Conference also adopted a resolution calling on the Organization to work on GHG emissions

Curbing air pollution from ships (contd.)

• On entry into force of Annex VI, technological developments had overtaken regulations, achieving significant reductions in emissions of air pollutantssignificant reductions in emissions of air pollutants

• Immediate call for tightening of the regulations – with amendments being adopted in 2008 Unanimous supportamendments being adopted in 2008. Unanimous support of Governments, industry, environmental interests: IMO at its best!

• Lowered SOx, NOx content of ships’ fuel with progressive reductions to 2020

• Introduced Emission Control Areas (ECAs) where reductions are even more stringent

Curbing GHGs from shipsCurbing GHGs from ships

• 2003 – following from 1997 Conference resolution, IMO Assembly adopted “GHG policies and practices”, mandating the Marine Environment Protectionmandating the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) to draw up a work plan with timetable

• 2006 – MEPC agreed a work plan to address technical, operational and market-based measures (MBMs) to limit or reduce GHG emissions from ships

• 2009 – with good progress on TOMs, MEPC agreed a further specific work plan on MBMs

Breakthrough at IMOBreakthrough at IMO• July 2011 – adoption of amendments to Annex VI toJuly 2011 adoption of amendments to Annex VI to

introduce regulations on energy efficiency for ships• First ever, global and mandatory energy efficiency , g y gy y

standard for an entire industry sector, leading to:– reduced fuel combustion and, consequently;– reductions in emissions of air pollutants and GHGs, as well as;– considerable savings to ship owners and operators throughout

the worldthe world

• Amendments adopted by majority of Parties to MARPOL Annex VI, but their representative character augurs well , p gfor the environmental integrity and effectiveness of the new regulations

Breakthrough at IMO (contd )Breakthrough at IMO (contd.)

• 30 States listed in Annex I to UNFCCC, joined by 19 non-Annex I StatesD l d d d l i t i f ll i f• Developed and developing countries from all regions of the world, including also LDCs and SIDS

• Some are countries most likely to suffer first from climate• Some are countries most likely to suffer first from climate change

• All major flag States (some 80% of the world fleet)• All major flag States (some 80% of the world fleet)• Most major ship building nations• Both importers and exporters• Both importers and exporters• About 75% of emissions from international shipping

Expected benefitsExpected benefits• Principal measures:Principal measures:

– Energy Efficiency Design Index, by which new ships are to be built in the future

– Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan, for operational practices on all ships

• Newly released LR/DNV study projects emission• Newly released LR/DNV study projects emission reductions to be:– some 150M tonnes of CO2 annually by 2020 (14% reduction on y y ( %

BAU)– some 330M tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030, (23% reduction on

BAU)BAU)

• Materials at the back or visit IMO stand (DEC building, booth No 58)booth No. 58)

Additional work by IMO regulatoryAdditional work by IMO – regulatory• On technical and operational measures:On technical and operational measures:

– further development/refinement of the EEDI to cover other types of ships and propulsion systems

– development of implementation guidelines

• On MBMs:– further examination of proposals on the table (10 from States

and organizations) including impacts on developing countriesand organizations), including impacts on developing countries– narrowing down the options– further development of selected proposals, including legal texts– finalizing the desired mechanism and its treaty provisions

Additional work by IMO –supporting countries

• New regulations provide for:– assistance for capacity-buildingassistance for capacity building– transfer of technology

• With support from donors (ITCP, Republic of Korea), IMO has already started providing technical assistance to developing countries, well in advance of entry into force in January 2013, to ensure global, uniform and effective implementation and enforcement of the neweffective implementation and enforcement of the new energy efficiency standards for ships

Other climate change action(geo-engineering activities)

• London Convention/Protocol regimes• CCS into sub-seabed geological formations, with

hibiti f li fi d CO2 di h di tl i t thprohibition of liquefied CO2 discharges directly into the oceans – regulations in force since 2007– Amendments to permit transboundary CCS adopted in 2009 –– Amendments to permit transboundary CCS adopted in 2009 –

yet to enter into force

• Ocean fertilization (e.g. addition of nutrients to enhance ( gocean uptake of CO2 in the atmosphere)– As science is yet uncertain, LC/LP Parties have legislated to limit

this only for the purposes of “legitimate scientific research”this only for the purposes of “legitimate scientific research” aimed at trials to prove if the concept works

Thank you for your attention!

For more information please see: www.imo.org