The head of a Norwegian maritime group said the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) must adopt a more ambitious emissions goal to meet a zero-emissions target by 2050.
The IMO must mandate that the maritime industry back more demanding targets for cutting emissions, like zero-emissions by 2050, a tax on CO2 emissions and improved efficiency standards for new and existing vessels, said Harald Solberg, the chief executive of the Norwegian Shipowners Association (NSA).
When the IMO decides on its revised climate strategy, potentially by next month, its new target should match what the NSA has adopted, Solberg said.
Members of the NSA have pledged zero-emissions by 2050 and to only order newbuild vessels equipped with zero-emission technology beginning in 2030.
The IMO's current goal aims for a 40pc decrease in CO2 emissions by 2030 and 70pc by 2050, compared with 2008 levels. The UN agency is expected to adopt a new strategy in July at the Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting.
The NSA said it supports the IMO adopting the most ambitious goal possible.
"We advocate setting an unequivocal zero-emissions goal by 2050 and the implementation of a market-based mechanism that puts a price on GHG emissions from international shipping," Solberg said. "The latter is absolutely crucial to reduce emissions globally."
The group said it also supports using funds drawn from CO2 emissions taxes to support alternative energy sources to boost its supply and bring down prices.
The IMO's Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) has shown some weaknesses, according to NSA, and needs to be improved as part of its new carbon strategy. The shipowner group said some in the industry may distort vessel trading platforms to show a higher CII ranking than it has, which could lead to more fuel consumption and higher emissions.
The group said any new efficiency standard adopted by the IMO must take a more detailed approach rather than a "one size fits all" approach based on nautical miles sailed.
The IMO's CII regulation, which went into effect this year, require shipowners to calculate a vessel's fuel consumption, the type of fuel it consumed and the distance it traveled.
