| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2013) 480 final (28.6.13) |
| Publication Date | 28/06/2013 |
| Content Type | Policy-making |
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In December 2010, Parties of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recognized that global warming must not exceed the temperatures experienced before the industrial revolution by more than 2˚C. This is vital if the negative consequences of human interference with the climate system are to be limited. This long-term goal requires global greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by at least 50% below 1990 levels by 2050. In the medium term, the EU has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2020, and by 30% if conditions are right. This commitment forms part of one of the EU's five headline targets in the Europe 2020 Strategy. Additionally, both the European Council and the European Parliament have agreed that all sectors of the economy should contribute to reducing emissions. In the view of contributing to the EU 2020 Strategy, the 2011 Commission White Paper on Transport states that EU CO2 emissions from maritime transport should be reduced by 40% (if feasible 50%) from 2005 levels by 2050. In 2010 the total CO2 emissions related to European maritime transport activities (including intra EU routes, incoming voyages to the EU and outgoing voyages from the EU) were estimated to be of the order of 180 Mt CO2. Despite of the introduction of minimum energy efficiency standards for certain categories of new ships by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 2011, the emissions are expected to increase. Main driver is the still expected increased demand for maritime transport triggered by growth of world trade. The projected increase of CO2 emissions from shipping is not in line with the EU objectives, leading to negative impacts on climate change. Furthermore, at the EU level, international maritime transport remains the only transport mode not included in the EU's greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitment which requires additional efforts from all other sectors. Today, the precise amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions of EU-related maritime transport is not known due to the lack of monitoring and reporting of such emissions. The impact assessment and stakeholder consultation identified that a robust system for monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport is a prerequisite for any market-based measure or efficiency standard, whether applied at EU level or globally. Furthermore, a robust MRV system should contribute to the removal of market barriers, in particular related to the lack of information on ship efficiency. Based on the results of the impact assessment, it is expected that by introducing MRV, greenhouse gas emisisons reductions of up to 2% compared to business-as-usual and aggregated net costs reduction of up to €1.2 billion by 2030 could be achieved. By introducing MRV as a first step, more time can be dedicated to the discussion and decision making on emission reduction targets, market-based measures and efficiency standards to achieve these reductions at minimum cost. This is particularly relevant for discussions at global level in the IMO. Given the Commission's clear preference for measures taken at global level, the EU MRV should serve as example for the implementation of a global MRV with the aim to speed up the international discussions. In this context, relevant submissions to the IMO will be made when appropriate. Once a global system is decided, the proposed Regulation should be amended to align the EU MRV with the global system. |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2013:480:FIN |
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| Subject Categories | Environment, Mobility and Transport |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
