The Canadian Maritime Sector's Perception of the International Maritime Organization's (IMOs) short-term measures for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Abstract

In April 2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the Initial Strategy (IS) on reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, contributing to global climate efforts under the Paris Agreement. The Strategy presents a framework to achieve three levels of ambition towards GHG emissions reductions and includes short-, mid- and long-term measures to be adopted by member States. Globally, the contribution of GHGs from the shipping industry is expected to increase approximately 50% by 2050, under a business-as-usual scenario. Short-term measures proposed in the IS are anticipated to only have a modest impact on decarbonization effects and have been criticized by experts. Presently, there is no systematic understanding of the Canadian maritime shipping industry's perception of the proposed short-term measures. This study sought to bridge this knowledge gap through a series of semi-structured interviews. Using this qualitative approach, results from six stakeholders demonstrated a diverse range of perspectives. A collection of topics revealed a spectrum of ideas, whereby perceptions appeared to be largely influenced by stakeholder role within the sector. The results of this study demonstrate the need to facilitate engagement with more Canadian maritime shipping stakeholders such that future regulations and policy can be best informed. Greater research and engagement with more players must occur to ensure strategic building of IMO targets for a plan for Canada to better align with Paris Agreement temperature goals.

Keywords: Greenhouse gases, International Maritime Organization, shipping, stakeholders, industry, climate change