Environmental groups Seas At Risk and Transport & Environment have revealed that the draft of the Paris climate agreement to be signed in December, will exempt the aviation and shipping sectors from targeted CO2 emissions cuts.
Calling the move an ‘irresponsible U-turn’, the groups claim that the sectors are not covered by national targets in the Paris agreement.
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Additionally, previous calls for aviation and shipping CO2 reduction targets will be removed under the draft Paris deal.
According to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the carbon emissions from international maritime shipping could increase by 250% in the period to 2050 if left unchecked.
The present carbon emissions from maritime shipping represents up to 2.2% of the global total.
Meanwhile, Aviation is responsible for 5% of global warming.
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By GlobalDataSeas At Risk senior policy advisor John Maggs said: “Excluding shipping from Paris opens up a fatal flaw in the global strategy to tackle climate change.
“As the IMO secretary-general’s recent remarks show, without a clear signal from the UNFCCC, the IMO is incapable of making the necessary decisions to ensure shipping takes a fair share of the burden of reducing emissions.”
The proposals to include shipping and aviation in contributing to climate finance were dropped in the draft.
Transport & Environment aviation manager Bill Hemmings said: “International aviation and shipping have climate impacts equal to Germany and South Korea respectively, yet they are tax-free on their fuel and are now set to be target-free on their emissions.
“It’s a betrayal of future generations and a sad reflection on the way the UN has become beholden to special interests. Paris needs to think again and quickly.”
With the least developed countries likely to suffer the most from the consequences of climate change, IMF and World Bank have expressed strong dissent against such levies.
The countries will finalise on an agreement after the Pre-Paris climate talks that will commence on 19 October.
