COP26: U.S. signs “Zero by 2050” declaration

Written by Nick Blenkey
Johm Kerry at COP26

U.S. signature of Zero by 2050 declaration was applauded by Special Envoy John Kerry

The U.S. is one of 14 countries signatory to a Declaration on Zero Emission Shipping by 2050 released at the COP26 conference in Glasgow yesterday. Interestingly, as well as countries such as Denmark that have long campaigned for “Zero by 2050,” signatories also include one of the world’s largest open-registry countries, Panama.

The declaration stresses that “in order to keep the Paris Agreement temperature goal within reach, emissions from international shipping should peak immediately, undergo significant reductions in the 2020s, and reach zero emissions by 2050.”

The declaration also “notes with appreciation the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission that aims to demonstrate deep- sea ships operating on commercially viable zero-emission fuels by 2030” and the “Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization signed by more than 200 companies and organizations, which includes a request for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to set a target for zero emission shipping by 2050.”

The countries pledge to work at IMO to adopt such a goal, to adopt goals for 2030 and 2040 that place the sector on a pathway to full decarbonization by 2050, and to adopt the measures to help achieve these goals.

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