Recommendations by the International Transport Forum (ITF) - a think tank affiliated to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – were that a target for shipping emissions, an action plan for implementation and a carbon tax for shipping, are needed.
But the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) said it prefers a fuel levy, rather than an emissions trading scheme, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.
An emission trading scheme or other complex alternatives “would distort global shipping markets”, ICS said.
And, if a levy was developed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), “any money collected should be proportionate to international shipping’s share of the world’s total CO2 emissions, not the US$26 billion a year carbon tax suggested by the ITF”.
