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Grappling with Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships

Tue, 9 Jul 2008 03:23:43 GMT

posted by ioman01
TemasEtUnam

How best to control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships?

That is the tricky issue the London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO) is currently grappling with. The IMO is the United Nations specialized agency created in 1959 to facilitate cooperation among governments in all technical matters involving shipping engaged in international trade, including prevention and control of pollution caused by ships.

An IMO working group met in Oslo at the end of June to develop technical options for consideration by the IMO’s powerful Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) this coming October. The MEPC is trying to draft a binding international instrument for adoption in 2009.

A 2000 study done for the IMO estimated that ships only accounted for 1.8% of CO2 emissions in 1996, but that moderate reductions were possible with only moderate cost. Data supplied to the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), however, shows that GHG emissions from maritime bunker fuel use have risen about 7% through 2005. And as the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has pointed out, annual CO2 emissions from international shipping as a whole already were higher than that of most Annex I countries of the Kyoto Protocol.

As the IMO release below makes clear, the working group and MEPC are struggling with several tough issues. A fundamental question yet to be answered is whether these rules will be attached to one of the many environment conventions and codes overseen by the IMO, or be a standalone instrument?

Some issues are particular to the mandatory “CO2 design index” for new ships being developed, which will regulate certain key design decisions and require certain fuel efficiency standards (which will be gradually tightened - question is, how often?). One of these is how not to make the application of the rules cost-prohibitive, another is how to ensure compliance follows the letter of the rules but does not actually meet their spirit.

Another major issue: how to avoid evasion. An estimated 85% of ship GHG emissions come from ships flying the flags of developing nations such as Panama, but whose actual owners are from OECD nations and Taiwan. Therefore advocates of a tough IMO instrument want it to be binding on all ships, and not just those flying the flags of Kyoto Annex I nations.

Yet another major source of debate: what role for economic instruments? Should there be a global levy on bunker fuel, and if so, how much and set on what basis? Should there be an emissions trading scheme for ships and/or some sort of variant of the clean development mechanism (CDM)?

_______________________

From the International Maritime Organization (IMO):

Oslo meeting prepares ground on GHG reduction mechanisms

Progress towards developing a mandatory regime to control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping was made during the first intersessional meeting of IMO’s Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, held in Oslo, Norway (23 to 27 June 2008). The meeting was attended by more than 210 delegates, comprising experts from all over the world.

The week-long session was tasked with developing the technical basis for reduction mechanisms that may form part of a future IMO regime to control GHG emissions from international shipping, and with developing drafts of the actual reduction mechanisms themselves, for further consideration by IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), which next meets in October 2008 and, notwithstanding the importance of the Oslo meeting, will have the final, decisive role to play on the issue.

In particular, the Oslo meeting made progress on developing a mandatory CO2 Design Index for ships and an interim CO2 operational index, and held extensive discussions on best practices for voluntary implementation and economic instruments with GHG-reduction potential

Although, to date, no mandatory GHG instrument for international shipping has been adopted, IMO has given extensive consideration to the matter and is currently working in accordance with an ambitious work plan, due to culminate, in 2009, with the adoption of a binding instrument. IMO is working to have measures in place to control GHG emissions from international shipping before the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of 2011.

Mandatory CO2 Design Index

The meeting developed further a formula and the methodology, as well as draft text for the associated regulatory framework, for a proposed mandatory CO2 Design Index for new ships. Once finalized, the index will serve as a fuel-efficiency tool at the design stage of ships, enabling the fuel efficiency of different ship designs, or a specific design with different input such as design speed, choice of propeller or the use of waste heat recovery systems, to be compared.

The design index will contain a required minimum level of fuel efficiency related to a baseline, which will be established based on fuel efficiency for ships delivered between 1995 and 2005. The actual minimum level, and the frequency with which the limit will be tightened, are among the matters that will be considered by MEPC 58 in October.

The Oslo meeting thoroughly considered the different elements in the formula to avoid so-called “paragraph ships”, meaning future ship designs optimized for certain conditions but which do not actually deliver greater fuel efficiency. The different correction factors to make the formula relevant for all ship types were given extensive consideration, as was verification of the design index, as there might not be a Flag state dedicated to the ship at the design stage.

The meeting encouraged Member States and observer organizations to test the robustness of the agreed draft formula by conducting simulations and submitting the outcome to MEPC 58. With this outcome, MEPC 58 should be in a position to approve the CO2 Design Index for new ships and agree on the final details.

Interim CO2 operational index

The intersessional meeting considered the interim CO2 operational index and identified all areas where changes have been proposed. The interim CO2 operational index was adopted by MEPC 53 in July 2005 and has been used by a number of flag States and industry organizations to determine the fuel efficiency of their ship operations. IMO has received the outcome from thousands of trials and a large amount of data exists.

The interim CO2 operational index has been used to establish a common approach for trials on voluntary CO2 emission indexing, enabling shipowners and operators to evaluate the performance of their fleet with regard to CO2 emissions. As the amount of CO2 emitted from a ship is directly related to the consumption of fuel oil, CO2 indexing also provides useful information on a ship’s performance with regard to fuel efficiency. The draft CO2 operational index will be put forward to MEPC 58 with a view to finalizing it at that session.

Best practices for voluntary implementation

The intersessional meeting reviewed best practices for voluntary implementation and developed further guidance for the ship industry on fuel efficient operation of ships. The meeting considered best practices regarding a range of measures identified by earlier sessions of the MEPC and for how they can be implemented by ship builders, operators, charterers, ports and other relevant partners to make all possible efforts to reduce GHG emissions. Operational measures have been identified as having significant reduction potential that often can be achieved without large investments, but would require co-operation with other stakeholders.

Economic instruments with GHG-reduction potential

The Oslo meeting had a thorough and in-depth discussion related to the further development of different economic instruments with GHG-reduction potential including, inter alia, a global levy on fuel used by international shipping and the possible introduction of emission trading schemes for ships. Proposals for both open emission trading schemes, where ships will be required to purchase allowances in an open market in line with power stations or steel mills, and closed schemes, where the trading will only be among ships, were considered.

“Grandfathering” or auctioning of the allowances, how the cap is set and by whom, the management of any system, the banking of allowances and the impact on world trade, as well as legal aspects, were also among the issues considered. The meeting had an extensive exchange of views, paving the way for further discussion at MEPC 58 on the possible introduction of market-based measures to provide incentives for the shipping industry to invest in fuel-efficient ships.

Next steps

MEPC 58 will be held in London from 6 to 10 October 2008 and is expected to consider further the reduction mechanisms developed by the intersessional meeting, with a view to their forming part of the future IMO regulatory regime. MEPC 58 is also expected to consider the related legal aspects and decide whether the GHG regulations should form part of an existing convention or whether an entirely new instrument should be developed and adopted.

However, no clear conclusion was reached as to whether any such instrument should apply to all ships, irrespective of flag, or only to ships flying the flag of Parties to the UNFCCC and listed in Annex I to that Convention.

MEPC 58 will also decide on the work needed prior to MEPC 59, to be held in July 2009, when final adoption of a coherent and comprehensive IMO regime to control GHG emissions from ships engaged in international trade is planned.

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Forest funding - Good idea but...

Sun, 14 Jul 2008 08:08:00 GMT

posted by nenohal

Global warming caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions has become serious ecological problem. Infamous Kyoto protocol failed in its intention to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and now new solution is required. This solution could be the forest funding that should put an end to uncontrolled deforestation and save our forests. Britain and Norway already invested £108m to a fund to protect forests in the Congo basin and that is the initiative this world needs. However something else must be done too, namely to ensure that these huge fonds get in right hands.

Funds itself won't be sufficient, there is also many changes that need to be done before we can talk about successful project. Many institutional and policy reforms are needed to ensure success of this project, and special emphasis must be on forest property rights. These changes must ensure that money won't end up in central government officials, of which many are closely tied to illegal logging and mining activities. Giving money directly to local groups seems to be more effective, of course if they are prior given clear land rights. There were some examples in Mexico and Brazil that showed more success when local communities were running the forest protection projects.

Deforestation causes about a fifth of man-made greenhouse gas emissions

The cause is just - sending money to save the forests, but there is a lot of work ahead to ensure that billions will end up in the right hands. One thing is sure though - deforestation that causes about a fifth of man-made greenhouse gas emissions is a huge problem that needs to be dealt with, and that can't be done without the huge funds from rich countries. It is not just enough to give the money, it is equally important to ensure that this money fulfills its purpose, namely to significantly cut down deforestation rate in many developing countries. Hopefully, both funding as well as funding control will be on required level because without it our forests will not survive.

Related Articles:

Costa Rica plants more trees to become carbon neutral

Thu, 16 May 2008 08:01:00 GMT

posted by JohnRussell
Costa Rica will plant seven million trees in 2008 to soak up as many greenhouse gas emissions as it produces, in a bid to become the world's first carbon neutral nation, a top official said Monday.

"The stated goal is to be the first neutral country as far as greenhouse gas emissions is concerned," said Energy and Environment Minister Roberto Dobles.

"To get there, this administration is betting on halting deforestation and on the 'Plant a Tree' project," he added, referring to an ongoing government initiative to plant as many trees as possible in the country.

The project aims to "plant seven million trees this year, meaning that in our country there would be 1.5 trees for each Costa Rican.

He added that in 2007 the country managed to plant five million trees, spurred by the desire to forestall an impending environmental catastrophe.

"Climate change is the main threat facing humanity and, even so, the world still can't agree to fight this problem," Dobles said.

Every country can help in the struggle, even a small nation like his own, Dobles said.

"We all know developed countries and big developing nations like China, Brazil and India are chiefly responsible for most of the greenhouse gases that destroy the ozone layer.

"That doesn't mean a country like Costa Rica should stand by doing nothing. On the contrary, we're working on a series of initiatives on the national and global levels to lessen the impact" of climate change, the minister said.

(PICTURE: The Monteverde Costa Rica Cloud Forest is one of the most famous conservation areas in Central America. It's a tropical rain forest but because of it's altitude (1400 meters or 4.600 feet), it's called a Cloud Forest.)

Costa Rica plants more trees to become carbon neutral

Thu, 16 May 2008 08:01:00 GMT

Minister: Government and Businesses Must Work Closely to Tackle Carbon Emissions (UK)

Fri, 22 Dec 2007 00:50:08 GMT

posted by bhartzer

Drawing courtesy of The American Interest website

An effort to simplify the issues facing businesses cutting CO2 emissions was indicated by UK government economists, which increases the importance of considering the cost of carbon in policy decisions, said Environment Minister Phil Woolas.

Mr Woolas stated, “Last week in Bali, we set a clear agenda for negotiating a new global agreement to fight climate change. We must make the most cost-effective emissions cuts, and we must prove to the world that fighting climate change is compatible with economic growth.”

The Minister continued, “This (effort) shows once again that we’re serious about tackling emissions in the UK and that doing so doesn’t need to undermine competitiveness. It’s all about making sure that we get the biggest cuts in carbon dioxide possible for the money spent.”

Lastly, Minister Woolas closed saying “Working together, Government and businesses must show leadership in tackling emissions, without jeopardizing prosperity. In fact, growth brings innovation and resources - which can help us to tackle emissions.”

DEFRA is working on a new package of methods for cutting duplication and unduly complex bureaucracy, cost cutting, and making it easier for businesses to cut emissions. This effort responds to requests from businesses who want to cut emissions, but that find existing regulations complex and confusing.

This package of methods seeks to eliminate avoidable overlaps, simplify existing regulations, and ensure that the regulatory burden on the economy is kept to a minimum. Some of these methods will be of special benefit to small and medium enterprises, but the package as a whole is intended to simplify regulation for all businesses.

In the second paper, the UK government economists significantly raise the value attached to carbon emissions or the savings from all new policies and projects across the UK government. This paper brings the value of carbon used by the UK government decision-makers into line with the Stern Review - increasing the value by 17 percent for emissions in 2020, 32 percent in 2030; and 67 percent in 2050, as compared with previous values.

Wherever new policies or projects have a significant impact on emissions, Ministers are advised that these new carbon values will account for more of the carbon impact. That covers not only environmental measures, but applies across the UK government, which includes for example transport, construction and infrastructure projects. These new values will be an incentive to recommend lower-carbon options wherever they may be economically and socially justified.

Because of its better regulation agenda, DEFRA decided to review its three main climate change instruments - the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, Climate Change Agreements, and the proposed Carbon Reduction Commitment.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/cc-instruments/index.htm.

The webpage, shown just above, lists options for further aligning domestic and EU policy designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by industry, including the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, Climate Change Agreements and the proposed Carbon Reduction Commitment. The recommendations were developed with cross-departmental input, and have been broadly agreed across the UK government.

The UK government is seeking views on options in the document, including:

***Recommendations for reducing overlap;

***Methods for streamlining, monitoring, and reporting;

***Ways to share data better; and

***How to ensure all domestic policies add value to international ones.

Key issues that the UK government is, also, seeking views on include:

***Ensuring all domestic policies add value to international interventions;

***Removing overlap between policies such that the same emissions are not targeted multiple times;

***Methods for streamlining monitoring and reporting;

***Ways to better share data.;

***Improving consistency and coherence between various policy interventions; and

***Reducing the administrative burden of these policies on smaller businesses.

The larger value attached to carbon emissions and the rationale behind it have been prepared in a paper by DEFRA’s Economics Group. The paper: “The Social Cost of Carbon and the Shadow Price of Carbon: What They Are, and How to Use Them in Economic Appraisal in the UK.” is available at their webpage: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/research/carboncost/pdf/bac
kground.pdf

The paper has had an academic peer review, the results of which will be made public in the next couple of weeks.

Valuing Carbon:

The Shadow Price of Carbon (SPC) is the value that will be placed by the UK government on carbon impacts when evaluating policy options. The new framework will ensure that the carbon impacts of policies - whether negative or positive- will be taken into account systematically and consistently across the UK government.

The SPC is based on estimates of the damage caused by a metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and by other greenhouse gasses, through their impact on climate change. The new values for the SPC reflect estimates of these damages presented in the Stern review. The value increases over time, consistent with the increased damage caused by emissions at higher levels of atmospheric concentrations. The new values are higher than past estimates. In 2007, the SPC is £25 (as of today, USD $49.6) per metric ton of carbon dioxide. By 2050, the Shadow Price of Carbon will be some 67% higher than the previous figure used to value carbon emissions. Equivalent values will be used for other greenhouse gasses.

DEFRA will review the SPC value over the coming year, primarily taking into account additional information on the costs of reducing carbon emissions. To review the paper in which the new carbon value (with background information) is listed, please visit the webpage: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/research/carboncost/index.htm

DEFRA’s aim is sustainable development

(Ed.: This is a tremendous example of how a people can work together to solve a dilemma facing the entire country’s population…er…life on this planet! You know, people and governments CAN work together. As much as I respect the U.S. Presidential office, I wish the Texan in the Oval Office, which for our visitors living outside of the U.S. is in the White House, would read the writing on the wall and join or perhaps lead the world community to actively and with dedication of purpose work aggressively to fight the potentially terrible consequences of the Global Warming/Climate Change challenge before all of us. He should use the remainder of his term to foster a firm alliance of between the ‘Big Oil’ interests, big business interests, environmentalists, and the scientific-environmentalist
community to solve the energy-pollution problem. He should assemble the best minds to stimulate and encourage the fledgling renewable/sustainable energy industry and weld them together into an action oriented team that will live on beyond the President’s term of office. In other words, the organization would not be tied to a single political party.

Ok, so I am dreaming. I would be overjoyed if the White House would stop attacking portions of our population that are so fragile that they can’t defend themselves and to stop attacking our environment to satisfy his ‘Big Oil’ and big business friends.

Remember: if the planet is allowed to go past the environmental recovery tipping point, there won’t be any do-overs.)

Source for this post: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

Website and webpages: http://www.defra.gov.uk
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/cc-instruments/index.htm
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/research/carboncost/pdf/background.pd
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/research/carboncost/index.htm