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Norway wants to halve climate emissions from shipping

Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (Conservative Party).Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB scanpix

Minister of Industry, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen of Høyre (H) fears for the future of Norwegian shipping if the industry is under the EU’s climate quota system instead of a global climate agreement.

 

Shipping, which is not regulated by the climate agreements, accounts for a significant part of the world’s climate-changing emissions, an estimated 17%, wrote ‘ABC Nyheter’ news.

Prior to a forthcoming meeting in London of the international shipping organisation IMO, the battle is about introducing global climate goals and how ambitious these should be. Several actors want zero carbon emissions by 2035, while EU countries propose 70-100% cuts by 2050.

“Norway intends to set a target of 50% cuts in climate emissions from ships by 2050,
compared to 2008,” said the Minister for Industry, Communications and Communications.

Norway is thus adopting a more cautious line, something Røe Isaksen thinks is best given the large Norwegian maritime industry and the competitive situation.

“This is an extremely international industry. If you have strict rules somewhere and not elsewhere, they’ll move,” he said.

If it is not possible to reach a global climate agreement for ships, the EU have announced that they will unilaterally pay European shipping by involving shipowners in the climate quota system.

‘’We will then, as a huge shipping nation, suffer a competitive disadvantage,’’ said Røe Isaksen, who with a moderate level of ambition, hopes it will be easier to get a global climate deal.

 

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today