IMO to promote net-zero framework for shipping at COP29

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will bring together world leaders and an estimated 40,000 delegates from governments, civil society, and the commercial sector to debate ways to combat climate change. The global marine industry has committed to attaining net-zero GHG emissions from shipping by 2050, as detailed in the 2023 IMO Strategy to Reduce GHG Emissions from Ships. This aligns with the Paris Agreement.

At COP29, Secretary-General Dominguez will share the latest developments in delivering the Strategy, including those related to ongoing negotiations towards a new set of binding economic and technical ‘mid-term GHG reduction measures’ to decarbonise the maritime sector. 

Ahead of COP29, IMO submitted a report to the 61st session of the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 61) summarising developments and measures achieved to date to promote marine climate action.

Among other topics, the document discusses the conclusions of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee’s 82nd session (MEPC 82), which took place in September/October 2024.

At that conference, the Committee advanced talks on suggested mid-term GHG reduction initiatives, such as a worldwide price system for ship GHG emissions and a global marine fuel standard. Member States highlighted areas of convergence, and discussions culminated in a draft legislative instrument – ‘the IMO Net-Zero Framework’ – to serve as the foundation for the next round of negotiations.

The goal is to implement these mid-term steps in late 2025, with enforcement beginning in 2027.

Recently, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) carried out a needs assessment mission in Guinea to assist in the preparatory stages of setting up a Maritime Single Window (MSW) in the Port of Conakry.