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"I
want to announce that in support of the global effort to keep us
in reach of 1.5 degrees Celsius and in support of global efforts
to achieve net zero by no later than 2050, the United States is
committing to work with countries in the IMO to adopt the goal
of achieving net zero emissions from international shipping by
no later than 2050," he told a conference hosted by the Ocean
Conservancy.
The global sector emits 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide
each year, according to the Ocean Conservancy, on par with
Germany's annual emissions.
The United States, along with Saudi Arabia, had been one of the
two countries to issue a formal “reservation” on the IMO’s
initial greenhouse gas strategy.
Kerry told the conference that the United States will help
deploy the technologies needed to rapidly reduce the sector's
emissions, which he said are "known to us" that require
investment to scale up.
European Union and British officials sent a letter to Biden in
March urging the United States to address shipping emissions in
its forthcoming climate plan under the 2015 Paris agreement and
that responsibility for all ship emissions be split between the
country of origin and country of destination.
The United States is expected to announce its new goal, known as
a Nationally Determined Contribution, as soon as Wednesday ahead
of the summit.
The Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental group based in
Washington, called on the Biden administration to commit to its
own zero-emissions goal by 2035, saying that under international
law the country can require all ships docking at domestic ports
adhere to a clean shipping standard.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Leslie Adler,
Marguerita Choy and Jonathan Oatis)
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