LRQA COP 16 Blog, Day two – Discussions Commence on Sectoral Approaches
1st December 2010 by Madlen King
By Madlen King, Global Head of Climate Change and Sustainability, LRQA
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Bearing in mind the discussions that were taking place on Day 2 of Cancun, when the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) met to address the subject of emissions from fuel used for transport, it was unfortunate that many of the participants spent hours attempting to get to the talks through the traffic.
The main aims of COP16 for these two transport sectors are to further express their commitments for real action on their climate change impacts, and to maintain and strengthen their position – that regulation of what are single global markets must be managed at the global level for many reasons, including the need to avoid the potential for carbon leakage and detrimental impacts on international competitiveness. Both sectors have already been subject to the interest of the European Commission with regard to inclusion in their EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The aviation sector has been brought into this scheme with actions required this year and the activities of the maritime transport sector on this subject remain under their watchful eye.
For these reasons the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) prepared documented submissions for discussion at these sessions outlining their progress.
The submission of ICAO includes commitments to: reduce its members’ carbon emissions by 50% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels; develop a framework for market-based measures and; look for a global scheme for international aviation by its next assembly, which may be three years away.
The IMO submission summarises the outcome of the 61st session of their Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in relation to: the request made for the circulation of proposed amendments to MARPOL Annex VI for consideration in July 2011 to make mandatory for new ships the Energy Efficiency Design Index – requiring a minimum energy efficiency level to stimulate technical developments in energy efficient design, and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) – to achieve efficiency improvements in operations; and the debate on how to progress suitable market-based measures for international shipping.
How these proposals shall be received by the body will be evident in the coming days. With the general ‘buzz’ in the Cancunmesse and the Moon Palace being more of a ‘very low hum’ thus far, I hope that the heavy rain that brought day 2 to a close does not discourage or dampen the spirits of the participants and negotiators.
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Madlen King is the Global Head of Climate Change & Sustainability. She ensures the technical integrity of LRQA climate change and sustainability services and liaises with external bodies and governments on climate change. Within this role, Madlen is responsible for the service design, delivery and maintenance of accreditations for all GHG validation and verification schemes [...]