Global shipping industry agrees to cut emissions by at least 50% by 2050
London — Most of the world’s countries have agreed to a mandatory deal that, for the first time, will limit emissions from the global shipping industry. After a week of negotiations at a London meeting of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a UN body, envoys from 173 countries agreed to cut emissions by at least 50% by 2050 from 2008 levels. Saudi Arabia, the US and Russia all objected. The accord is a significant step in the fight against global warming. Shipping, the only industry not included in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, would rank as the sixth-largest greenhouse gas emitter if it were a country, according to the World Bank. If left unchecked, that share could account for 15% of global carbon emissions by 2050, a five-fold increase from today. "It is likely this target will tighten further, but even with the lowest level of ambition, the shipping industry will require rapid technological changes," said Tristan Smith, a reader at University College London’s Ener...
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