On the occasion of the Marine Environment Protection meeting Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is underway in London and which is crucial to establishing methods and timing of the decarbonisation path of the maritime transport sector, Transport & Environment (T&E), the European association that promotes impact reduction transport, reiterated its proposal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships that is based on a global carbon tax and at the same time on for green fuels, without which - underlined the association - it will be almost impossible to achieve zero emissions by 2050.

In fact, according to T&E, the MEPC meeting underway in London now arrives out of time and, moreover, if most Some nations support the strategy of eliminating of the dirtiest ship fuels, however, it is not agree on how emissions should be counted and on which alternative fuels should be subsidised. In - the association highlighted - continues to be disagreement on three issues: on the degree of decarbonisation to be and on the timing to do so, on which fuels should be considered green and how much they should pay for the ships if they fail to meet the objectives of decarbonization.

With regard to the first question, concerning the objectives and milestones, T&E stressed that if they are not set binding targets, it is even easier to lose given unclear climate targets. The IMO - second The Association - To provide certainty to the shipping sector, it must then set these binding targets until 2050.

Regarding marine fuels that should be considered green, T&E does not He has doubts: "Fossil oil and gas - he underlined THE ASSOCIATION - They are not green, period. Similarly, not even the biofuels derived from agricultural crops. A recent report by T&E - the association recalled - has shown that IMO's current plans risk creating a huge new market for biofuels that cause deforestation. At present current, biofuel-powered ships could release 270 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 compared to today, which makes the situation worse than the do nothing. A real challenge - T&E noted - will be find ways to incentivise green hydrogen fuels, which are absolutely necessary but would struggle to take off without a preferential financial support, at least in the initial phase".

Noting that increasing the production of green hydrogen at a level that can feed ships may require time, T&E noted that something that can be done Immediately: to make ships more efficient. "Major Efficiency - the association pointed out - means less consumption of fuel and, therefore, fewer emissions. Efficiency can be achieved by encouraging ships to use energy wind power, to slow down navigation or to coordinate with ports to reduce waiting times. The positive fact is that these options are already available for many ships at the global". In addition, T&E also pointed out, "measures such as the Carbon Intensity Indicator can help ensure that ships improve their efficiency. But the IMO must focus on making sure the CII is fit for purpose if it really wants to support ships in achieving their goals. Unless he succeeds and continues to discuss exceptions that erode effectiveness, will lose the opportunity for an easy victory". For T&E, the best outcome the IMO could achieve should include a standard on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. greenhouse gases of marine fuels that take into account the of the entire life cycle, binding gas reduction targets greenhouse for ships up to 2050 combined with a universal tax of $150/tonne of greenhouse gas emissions and a CII rigorous. "This," the association concluded, would ensure predictable and high revenue to support long-term investments in e-fuels and clean technologies, while enabling a just and equitable transition."