Marko Gucheski reports back after spending a week at IMO as a student observer during 80th MEPC Committee Session.
Marko Gucheski (Environmental Law LLM, 2023) has recently attended the 80th Marine Environment Protection Committee Session. Here he reports his observations:
Queen Mary University of London is an intellectually provocative and inspiring arena for students as it stimulates them to reach for new opportunities while studying. During my LLM Course in Environmental Law at the university, I had the chance to attend more than a few guest lectures, some of which related to the work of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and international law. Having heard about the achievements of the work of the IMO during some of those presentations, I decided to attend the 80th Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), a topic that was quite prominent in my study materials during my LLM degree.
The time spent at the IMO was an outstanding opportunity for broadening my knowledge of maritime issues and for closely following the negotiations among the States in the UN’s specialized agency for safe, secure, and efficient shipping and the prevention of pollution from ships. Attending the session as a student provided me with an opportunity to get a direct insight into the work of the IMO and its bodies and to learn more about the importance of multilateral cooperation for collective protection of the environment in global terms.
During its 80th Session, the MEPC adopted the most significant 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (2023 IMO GHG Strategy) with an aim to reduce the GHG shipping emissions and contribute to the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships.
At the beginning of the sessions, the set agenda seemed almost impossible to fulfill – to adopt a Strategy for reducing GHG emissions in one working week, while keeping in mind that the process would involve negotiations between the States in order to adjust their views on certain matters, being aware of the fact that shipping industry has an enormous impact on the environment and world economy in general. However, the IMO managed to succeed, not least because of the strong determination of the States, bearing in mind the necessity to act promptly on the issue of environmental protection.
The 80th session of the MEPC was focused on reducing of GHG emissions in international shipping, which was codified as a set of goals to be attained in a series of the following steps:
- reducing the ship's carbon footprint through increased energy efficiency for new ships- decline of carbon intensity in international shipping by at least 40 percent by 2030, compared to 2008.- increasing the use of fuels, energy sources, and technology with zero or almost zero GHG emissions by 2030; getting the GHG shipping emissions to net zero by 2050, considering different factors which might affect this aim internationally, bearing in mind the temperature goal set out in Article 2 of the Paris Agreement.
The strategy refers to many international legal instruments, such as the UNCLOS, MARPOL, the Paris Agreement, UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and related IMO conventions, but also takes into consideration the work of international bodies such as the UNFCCC and other NGO actors, which during the plenary sessions addressed their views and opinions as well as other challenges that lie ahead in the process of fulfilling the strategy.
Still, the adopted Strategy is only the beginning of the process of protection of the marine environment and its implications globally, as huge efforts have to be employed jointly by the States.
It was an enriching experience meeting people and hearing the opinions of professionals involved in the shipping industry and related areas, as it gave me a deeper insight into the existing issues relating the environmental protection. This event reconfirmed the IMO's status as a highly efficient international forum involving all relevant stakeholders – governments, international organizations, and NGOs.
I am thankful to the IMO for the opportunity to participate in the plenary sessions of the MEPC Committee, as well as Queen Mary University of London for their responsiveness during the process of application.