After ten years of negotiations, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced the adoption of an agreement designed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in shipping. For the first time, carbon pricing is introduced: ships that exceed allowable emission limits will, starting in 2027, be required to purchase special offset units. The proceeds will be directed to environmental projects and the development of clean technologies.
Ships with low or zero emissions will receive financial incentives. An IMO Net-Zero Fund will also be established: it will finance environmental research and support developing countries in the shift to clean technologies.
Freight shipping is the second-largest contributor to total global CO₂ emissions among all modes of transport after road vehicles. Although the agreement has been criticized for being insufficiently ambitious, the planned 8% emissions reduction by 2030 is already being recognized as an important step toward implementing the Paris Agreement. The main outcome is the start of a systematic transition to carbon-neutral maritime transport, which had previously been considered among the most difficult areas for decarbonization.
Source: EcoWatch
