The global shipping industry is responsible for 90 percent of world trade. The ships crossing the world’s oceans emit nearly 3% of the global greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity that are contributing to climate change. Among the effects of climate change are sea level rise, which is threatening the very existence of small island nations.
One such nation is Tuvalu, which is a group of islands in the South Pacific. Tuvalu has a total landmass of just 10 square miles, and sea level there is rising 1.5 times faster than the global average. Predictions are that within 50 to 100 years, low-lying islands like those of Tuvalu could be fully submerged by the ocean.
Representatives from six Pacific Island states and a growing number of Caribbean nations known as the 6Pac+ Alliance are urgently calling upon the International Marine Organization to enact a mandatory universal levy of $150 per ton of shipping emissions from large commercial vessels.
Most marine vessels typically run on highly polluting heavy fuel oil. Burning really filthy fuel is the cheapest way to cross the oceans. There are alternatives including entirely carbon-free technologies, but they will be expensive to implement and utilize. The cost of shipping would undoubtedly go up and be especially felt by small island nations and in developing countries where most food is imported.
The idea behind putting a price on ships’ carbon emissions is to both provide a financial incentive for the shipping industry to reduce its emissions and provide revenue for countries that incur costs from dealing with rising seas.
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Photo, posted November 23, 2006, courtesy of Stefan Lins via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
