The ‘Clydebank Declaration’ to establish six zero-emission shipping routes was adopted during the recently held COP 26 conference.
The Clydebank Declaration was adopted at the COP-26 Climate Summit held in Glasgow. A coalition of 19 countries, including Britain and the United States, has signed the declaration.
This announcement is committed to establish green shipping corridors i.e. zero-emission sea routes between two or more ports. This will help accelerate the de-carbonization of the global marine industry.
This will require a developing supply of zero-emission fuels, the necessary infrastructure for de-carbonization, and a regulatory framework.
India has not yet signed this declaration.
Shipping accounts for about 80% of the total volume of world trade. It is directly responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse (GHG) emissions.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a target of reducing total greenhouse gas emissions from ships by 50% by 2050 from 2008 levels.
However, this target is not in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Other measures taken globally towards de-carbonization of shipping industry include-
- The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) is the main international convention. This includes the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships due to operational or incidental reasons.
- The IMO has accepted an amendment that supports a reduction in the amount of sulfur in the fuel oil of ships.
Source – The Hindu
