DURBAN POST-MORTEM: IS THE SEARCH FOR GLOBAL UNIFORMITY ON SHIPPING AND AVIATION EMISSIONS ELUSIVE?

In a previous post, I did try to make a case for uniformity in emissions regulations as regards ships and aviation emissions. 

I and a lot of industry followers were particularly upbeat about the chances of a working foundation towards uniformity due to the opportunity presented by COP 17.

On the 2nd day of COP17, Oxfam launched their 'A Fair Deal on Bunkers' campaign which aimed to highlight the rising effect of shipping emissions and how they must be tackled to keep warming below 2 degrees. See video below.

  

'The United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011, delivered a breakthrough on the international community's response to climate change. In the second largest meeting of its kind, the negotiations advanced, in a balanced fashion, the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, the Bali Action Plan, and the Cancun Agreements. The outcomes included a decision by Parties to adopt a universal legal agreement on climate change as soon as possible, and no later than 2015. 

The President of COP17/CMP7 Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said: "What we have achieved in Durban will play a central role in saving tomorrow, today."'

But beyond the exhilarating tone of Mashabane's assertion and the obvious progress made in the general climate change control quest, no agreement was reached on how to deal with carbon dioxide emissions from aviation and shipping at the Durban forum.

During the pendency of the conference on November 29th, 2011 Oxfam, WWF and the International Chamber of Shipping had issued a joint statement in respect of shipping emissions calling on delegates to COP 17 to give the International Maritime Organization (IMO) clear guidance on continuing its work on reducing shipping emissions through the development of Market Based Measures (MBMs). 

The organisations maintained (just as I did in my shipping emissions blog post earlier referred to) 'that an effective regulatory framework for curbing emission of CO2 from international shipping must be global in nature and designed so as to reduce the possibility of ‘carbon leakage’, while taking full account of the best interests of developing countries and the UNFCCC principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities’ (CBDR).' 

They went on to posit that 'with respect to any carbon charges that might be proposed by governments, they agree that the recent IMO agreement on technical and operational measures (Mandatory amendments to MARPOL Annex VI regulating atmospheric pollution, adopted by the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee in July 2011, that will be enter into force in January 2013) to reduce shipping emissions demonstrates that the IMO is eminently capable of developing a further international agreement for shipping on MBMs.' 

They further stated that 'in the light of the urgency required to avoid catastrophic climate change...governments should take all steps necessary to expedite such an agreement at the IMO.' 

These calls fell on deaf ears.

Instead in the final text issued at the end of COP17, the unsatisfactory and tersely worded statement that emanated was that parties have agreed to continue “consideration of issues related to addressing emissions from international aviation and maritime transport.”

This rather tepid and ambiguous statement embodies yet again a squandered opportunity towards global uniformity in shipping and aviation emissions control.

Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) Executive Director Paul Steele (ATW Daily News, May 16), who also serves as IATA's top official on environmental issues, said that “while it seems as if significant progress has been made in the broader climate agreement, with an extension to the Kyoto Protocol and a roadmap for a future legally binding agreement, there was yet again no progress at the UNFCCC on getting a global sectoral approach for aviation emissions.”

He added, “Positively for the industry there is agreement amongst nearly all countries that ICAO is the most appropriate place to deal with aviation emissions. The industry will continue to engage with ICAO to ensure that an ambitious work program can deliver an outcome on aviation emissions by the next ICAO Assembly in 2013. The tough nature of the negotiations under UNFCCC really places pressure on those same governments to deliver something meaningful at ICAO. ”

So for both shipping and aviation emissions control, uniformity sadly still remains a dream.

In the meantime the global shipping and aviation emissions stream continues to elongate in a milieu of disparate and fragmented regulation

SINKING SHIPS AND SINKING LlVES

I am back this week after a two week hiatus to talk about sinking ships. My apologies for the delay in posting. I had to keep up with other engagements that pay the bills.

Hmmnn sinking ships. A little depressing for this yuletide season you had say. You are perfectly justified if you think it is.

Well I don't mean to distress you. Just to share my thoughts on sinking ships and yes sinking lives. 

First sinking ships.

Ships have sunk from time immemorial. I am sure we all know of the most famous example of a sinking ship-The Titanic. Other equally famous ones include the Britannic, Lusitania or Estonia. The ill-fated White Star liner RMS Titanic, struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Below is the Titanic resting 'at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean, broken in half down the middle and surrounded by debris, slowly disintegrating in the ice-cold depths.'

Image source

Within the space of two weeks since my last blog post, a Chinese cargo ship sunk off Northern Philippines. The crew abandoned ship (ABS) as the cargo laden ship started sinking in shallow waters after being lashed by huge waves. One crew man is feared dead and another missing.

Though there are no clear cut statistics on the number of sea going vessels that sink on the average per annum globally, Wolfgang Rosenthal, of the GKSS Research Centre in Geesthacht, Germany opined in 2004 that two large ships sink every week.

The United Nations estimates that there are more than 3 million shipwrecks on the ocean floor. This has given rise to fortune hunts of buried sea vessels holding troves of treasures. One of such hunts and it's ongoing aftermath can be read here.The SS Gairsoppa recovery is a planned deep-sea operation in the North Atlantic Ocean, that is expected to retrieve the world's largest precious metals shipwreck salvage in history. Here is a you tube video heralding the find.

You can read about the treasure expedition of the SS Gairsoppa here.

When a ship sinks the stakes could be high, apart from possible loss of lives, economic and even environmental interests play a part. The environment is often the worse off when liquid contents carried by ships sip into the marine ecosystem. Valuables and even the rescue of the ship itself spurns an entire branch of Maritime Law called The Law of Salvage.

Ships sink for a variety of reasons. Wars (like the SS Gairsoppa), bad weather, fire, poor design, improperly stowed cargo, navigation and other human errors leading to collisions (with another ship, the shoreline, an iceberg, etc.), forming an artificial reef, piracy, mutiny or sabotage; as part of target practice; or to remove a menace to navigation.

'There's an old maritime tale that rats will abandon a sinking ship. There have been many reports of rats jumping from a ship by the dozen before the crew is even aware that there's a problem. So do rats have ESP? Probably not. The cause for this phenomenon is pretty simple. If there are rats on board a ship, they're most likely living in the bilge area -- just like they might be found in your basement. Since the bilge is the first place to take on water, the rats will know about it before anyone else. Water comes in and the rats climb up. Once up top, they probably simply get scared by the activity and jump overboard. A short time later, the crew is aware that the ship is sinking, and dimwitted sailors believe that rats can see the future.'

With the right steps and knowledge, anyone may survive a sinking ship. To learn how to survive a sinking ship click here.

Now to sinking lives.

Sink:

1. To descend to the bottom; submerge.

2.

     a. To fall or drop to a lower level, especially to go down slowly or in stages.

     b. To subside or settle gradually, as a massive or weighty structure.

3. To appear to move downward, as the sun or moon in setting.

4. To slope downward; incline.

5. To pass into a specified condition.

6.

    a. To deteriorate in quality or condition.

    b. To diminish, as in value.

7. To become weaker, quieter, or less forceful.

8.

    a. To drop or fall slowly, as from weakness or fatigue.

    b. To feel great disappointment or discouragement.

9. To seep or soak; penetrate.

10. To make an impression; become felt or understood: 

These definitions are taken from the online free dictionary.

All of the variant's of the word 'sink' save for perhaps 4, 5,9 and 10 are mostly negative in connotation. 

By sinking lives here, I mean it in the senses used in 1-3 and 6-8 particularly in the sense of 1 and 6. 

Sometimes people find themselves in a descent to the bottom. Many external or internal stimulus may be responsible for this. A failed marriage. A costly mistake. An error in judgement. A hidden affliction. An emotional trauma. A psychological tumult. A determined enemy. A lack of self restraint. An uncontrollable addiction. Many other factors.

These people are all around us. They are that stranger at the bus stop, the colleague at the office, the friend at school, the relative we know. They are all around us. 

Some have lost the will to live. Some have reached rock bottom.

It doesn't matter what the causes are. These lives are shipwrecked. Expectations dashed by the harsh reality of terrestrial existence. Like sunken ships, some of these lives have enormous treasures within their being. 

These lives are looking for just a reason to live. To carry on. To rise. To be salvaged.

Be that reason. 

Spread some love this yuletide. A smile. An endearing word. Encouragement. Care. Empathy. Affection.  It doesn't matter your race, beliefs, religion, orientation, preferences. 

We share a common humanity. A commonality of birth and death.

I leave you with Nat King Cole's smile.

Till next post. Big ups!