Dancing activists dressed as a swarm of jellyfish, an octopus and other sea creatures gathered outside the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London early morning June 26 with a banner a banner saying “End Dirty Shipping” and distributed flyers to demand that delegates arriving for a series of crucial shipping meetings urgently support climate pollution from ships by half by 2030 and make sure that shipping is zero emission by 2040.
“We are here this morning to drive home a message to arriving IMO delegates that they must urgently slash climate pollution from ships by half by 2030 and ensure that shipping is zero emission by 2040” said Claire James, a spokesperson for the activists.
“We know it can be done by cranking up energy efficiency, slowing ships down, fitting wind propulsion and getting new fuels into ships. If the IMO and its Member States act now, we can hit that 2030 target,” she said.
“We are living in a climate emergency. The IMO must listen to the science and act now!
“But the transition must start now, this week at the IMO. Time is running out and this is not the moment for timid targets and half measure policies.
“Without a stable climate, all life on Earth is threatened, and so is the smooth functioning of the economy and the shipping industry that enables it. Trade is already impacted today by environmental disruption all over the globe. The cost of delay is higher than the cost of taking action. Ambitious climate action is the only way to unlock investment and stability for future generations.”
The activists are calling on the IMO Member States to:
- Follow the science and commit to halve ship emissions by 2030
- Force ships to slow down for deep, fast emission cuts
- Prioritize wind power for ships, new and old
- Speed up roll-out of new climate-friendly fuels
- Making sure no-one is left behind by helping countries most in need
The IMO’s Intersessional Working Group on Greenhouse Gases (ISWG-GHG-15) opens June 26, while the 80th session of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80) opens July 3.
Photo credit: @thisismatthulse
