A SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT TO CLIMATE CHANGE FROM INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IN COP26
A few months before the end of 2021, it was held one of the most important international conferences, the climate summit of the United Nations (UN). This twenty-sixth session (COP 26) took place in Glasgow, bringing together around 190 world leaders and dozens of government, citizen and business representatives (UNEP, 2021); with the aim of not only outlining a course of action or taking the necessary measures to combat climate change, but also to mobilize funds for those most vulnerable territories that tend to suffer the consequences without causing them, and to promote adaptation and resilience in developing countries.
Among the main issues addressed at this conference were: (i) Elimination of carbon production and transition to clean energy, in which India has already committed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2070 and other countries, such as Costa Rica and the United Kingdom, to cease fossil fuel financing abroad, among other pacts. (ii) Ending methane emissions and deforestation, in which more than 100 countries, including Latin American countries such as Colombia, Uruguay, Peru, among others, which together account for about 85% of the world's forests, committed to reduce methane emissions by about 30% and stop deforestation by 2030. And finally, (ii) commitments to natural and sustainable agriculture, as well as other issues that favor environmental care (France 24, 2021).
It is worth mentioning that the IMO participated in this scenario with its talk "Emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport"; with which it sought to contribute to a safe, secure and efficient navigation, and to develop international regulatory regimes in which the protection of the marine environment is highlighted; The above is in line with the organization's Strategic Plan 2018 - 2023, which states the "need to develop ambitious and realistic solutions to minimize the contribution of maritime transport to air pollution in response to climate change" (IMO, 2021). Maritime transport is a vital and indispensable industry for supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as carbon dioxide emissions produced in this sector are estimated to represent around 2.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Despite global initiatives and the efforts of the international community, studies on the subject project an increase in these emissions. The recent European Maritime Transport Environmental Report, which forecasts an increase of about 18% in 2030 compared to 2015 and 39% in 2050, of CO2 emissions from international maritime transport in the European Union (EMSA, 2021).
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