Ministers from the G7 countries met in Sapporo on April 15 for discussions on climate, energy and the environment, releasing a communiqué setting targets in these areas, according to Ship & Bunker. Japan is the current chair of the G7.
"We reaffirm our commitment to strengthen global efforts to achieve GHG lifecycle zero emissions from international shipping by 2050 at the latest," the organisation said in the communiqué. "We commit to support this target and introducing intermediate targets for 2030 and 2040 for the revised IMO GHG reduction strategy during the upcoming IMO's 80th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC80), in line with efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
"We commit to work for the development and adoption of mid-term measures by 2025 to achieve these targets consisting of regulatory signals and incentives to accelerate the transformation of shipping such as the introduction of zero-emission ships in the early stage, while recognizing the importance of a just and equitable transition that leaves no one behind." The member countries also plan to establish at least 14 green shipping corridors by the middle of the 2020s, the organisation said.