Tuvalu’s Minister for Transport, Energy and Tourism Nielu Mesake . . . disappointed over “a strategy that falls short of what we need – but we are realistic.” Image: Kelvin Anthony\/RNZ Pacific<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nTuvalu’s Minister for Transport, Energy and Tourism, Nielu Mesake, said he was “very disappointed” to have “a strategy that falls short of what we need”.<\/p>\n
“But we are also realistic and understand that to reach any chance of setting this critical sector in the right direction we needed to compromise,” Mesake said.<\/p>\n
He said Tuvalu was confident in the shipping industry’s ability to change.<\/p>\n
“We have seen it before. We are confident that our industry will now prioritise each effort and each capital into decarbonizing [and] see shipping stepping up to the plate and fulfil its responsibility to reduce emissions.”<\/p>\n
Ishoda said the IMO’s focus now was to deliver on the targets.<\/p>\n
“We look forward to swift agreement on a just and equitable economic measure to price shipping emissions and bend the emissions curve fast enough to keep 1.5 alive.”<\/p>\n
More work ahead
\n<\/strong>IMO chief Kitck Lim said the adoption of the strategy was a “monumental development” but it was only “a starting point for the work that needs to intensify even more over the years and decades ahead of us.”<\/p>\n“However, with the Revised Strategy that you have now agreed on, we have a clear direction, a common vision, and ambitious targets to guide us to deliver what the world expects from us,” Lim said.<\/p>\n
And Pacific nations are under no illusion of the task ahead for international shipping truly to truly meet the 1.5 degrees limit.<\/p>\n
Fiji’s Minister for Transport Ro Filipe Tuisawau said: “We know that we have much more work to do now to adopt a universal GHG levy and global fuel standards urgently.<\/p>\n
“These are tools which will actually reduce emissions. We also look forward to the utilisation of viable alternative fuels,” Tuisawau said.<\/p>\n
Kiribati Minister for Information, Communication and Transport Tekeeua Tarati said the process of arriving at the final outcome “has been an extremely challenging and distressing negotiation for all parties involved.”<\/p>\n
“We had hoped for a revised strategy that was completely aligned to 1.5 degrees, not a strategy that merely keeps it within reach,” Tarati said.<\/p>\n
“We need to work on the measures that are essential to achieve the emissions reductions we so desperately need.”<\/p>\n
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