Greenhouse gas emissions in the shipping industry : are they adequately regulated or is further legal action required?

Abstract

This thesis deals with the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), in particular Carbon Dioxide (CO2), from international shipping which is one of the various sectors that is contributing to the transnational problem of climate change. Despite the fact that shipping is perceived as one of the most sustainable modes of transport, an increase in worldwide trade will eventually lead to a greater dependency on ships to transport goods. As a result, if no measures are adopted to deal with this issue, GHG emissions from international shipping will increase drastically. In response to the projected increase in GHG emissions from international shipping, ongoing discussions on an international level are taking place under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to develop measures in order to reduce GHG emissions from shipping. A major breakthrough in these discussions has been the adoption of technical and operational measures to limit GHG emissions from international shipping in order to improve the energy efficiency of ships. These measures alone are inadequate to address the problem in question, and as a result, market-based measures are required to complement the technical and operational measures. However, conflicting principles of common but differentiated responsibility and no more favourable treatment which dominate the international discussion on this matter hinder the development of regulations in this field. In addition, there are also discussions on this issue on a regional level whereby the European Union launched its own strategy to include maritime transport emissions in its GHG reduction policies. This strategy consists of a three-stepped approach which could ultimately facilitate the discussions taking place on the international plane.