Page 42: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2023)

OPINION: The Final Word

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Where is the IMO?

Tasked to ? ght climate change, what’s up with United

Nations ocean shipping agency charged with the responsibility to regulate GHGs?

By T. Nelson Thompson hy can’t global ocean shipping, an industry based in an unassuming brown building on the River Thames that transports more than 80% of the world’s in London. It’s the IMO that has the responsibility for regu- trade goods, clean up its act? Because it lating global shipping. As such, the IMO, composed of 135

W can’t, doesn’t want to, and won’t, even with heterogenous member countries, is a product of a centuries global shipping currently producing just over 3% of the old prevailing norm that countries favor minimal regulations world’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly car- at sea in pursuit of their strategic and economic interests. The bon dioxide, and including 9% of the sulfur dioxide and 18% consequent lack of political will to regulate much is partially of nitrogen oxide. driven by that history, which reveals a murky, constantly up-

Simply put, there’s no political will to do much at the Inter- for-debate IMO mandate.

national Maritime Organization (IMO), a clubby UN agency The IMO Convention was adopted in 1948, but only came 42 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • December 2023

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