Accounting for and influencing shipping emissions at a sub-global level

Concern about climate change has come somewhat late in the day for shipping for a combination of reasons: more obvious local pollutants; its omission from national inventories within the Kyoto Protocol; its importance in globalisation; its reputation as the most energy efficient transport mode. However, if national governments take heed of the scientific evidence underpinning the global 2°C temperature target, all sectors must be accounted for to ensure rapid decarbonisation over coming decades. Although the global nature of shipping likely requires some global policy solutions, pressure from the EU to consider sub-global policies is growing. This paper investigates opportunities and barriers around accounting for shipping emissions at a sub-global level and, going one stage further, explores aspects of the shipping system over which the UK in particular can have influence. The paper highlights that although establishing a baseline for international shipping emissions using apportionment enables the effort required across other sectors to be quantified, it is not a pre-requisite for directing mitigation policies at shipping. Instead, the urgency implied by a commitment to 2°C provides an evidence base for aiming mitigation policies at aspects of the system that can be influenced. Focus on the full logistics supply chain, considering potential for mitigation within national waters, ports and consumption in addition to beginning a process of data gathering would be a practical first step towards this commitment.