Why aviation and shipping were left out at COP21

International aviation and shipping contribute an awful lot to global greenhouse gas emission totals, but leaders have neglected to address them in the Paris Agreement! Here's why...

COP21 has been widely applauded for striking an excellent balance between strictness and achievability as regards global climate change objectives, with the resulting Paris climate change Agreement receiving worldwide acclaim. 179 nations have signed the Agreement. But two huge industries contributing to global warming gas emissions were discreetly omitted from the debate.


International aviation and shipping contribute 5% and 3% to global greenhouse gas emission totals respectively – put into perspective, that’s as much as a sizeable chunk of the wealthier nations on the Paris Agreement’s list of signatories.


It is estimated that, if left unregulated, these two sectors combined will contribute close to 40% of total world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. If nobody is denying that they aren’t major contributors (and given the numbers, how could they?), why is it that leaders have neglected to address them in the Paris Agreement?


Put simply, it’s fear. International aviation and shipping – in fact, international transport as a whole – are the backbone of world trade. Fears that over-ambitious emissions targets within the sectors would impede trade growth are certainly not unfounded, but this does not constitute sufficient reason to gloss over the colossal emissions from both sectors. Including them in future climate change agreements would make governments accountable for their reductions. Transport ministers around the world would therefore have no choice but to prioritise the issue of emissions reduction.


Both the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the International Maritime Organisation have committed to considering fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions at meetings in October 2016, though the outcome of these will be hard to predict at such an early date.

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