The future of shipping at the biodiversity-climate nexus : round table report
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Contributor(s)
With input from the Round Table participants.
Description
Human activities have driven Earth to cross six of nine planetary boundaries (Richardson et al., 2023), necessitating urgent measures to mitigate these impacts for the environment and for people. The international shipping sector, integral to society and the global economy, substantially contributes to ecosystem pressures such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. In 2023, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a greenhouse gas strategy (MEPC, 2023a) that aims for net-zero emissions by around 2050. This strategy will prompt far-reaching changes to the sector, with implications for e.g., ship building, maritime operations, policy and regulations. It also presents opportunities to fill in gaps to reduce a range of ecosystem pressures that result in biodiversity loss and pollution from shipping. From May 13-15, 2024, the World Maritime University (WMU) hosted a cross-disciplinary Round Table at its headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, to explore the future of shipping at the biodiversity and climate nexus. The Round Table was funded by the Velux Foundations and Oceans5. The Round Table had a particular focus on the impacts of shipping that are currently not regulated under any existing conventions or agreements. It convened 51 participants from academic institutions, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and industry, including the IMO. The goals were to consolidate scientific evidence on the environmental impacts of shipping, identify opportunities for mitigation, pinpoint information gaps, and develop indicators to monitor progress. With this report, we summarize the results from the Round Table itself targeting a maritime and oceans professional audience
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.21677/250205
Publication Date
2025
Publisher
World Maritime University
City
Malmö
Comments
To be published