Climate Change and the International Maritime Organization: Another Breakthrough at the Marine Environment Protection Committee?
Acknowledging the global and complex nature of shipping activities, the Kyoto Protocol, Article 2(2) entrusts the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from marine bunker fuels to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).[i] Since 1997, the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) has been actively engaged in discussions concerning the reduction of GHG emissions from ships and the elaboration of a legal framework for energy efficiency in the shipping industry as a means of tackling climate change.