Ahead of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) meeting planned to take place in London this July, government representatives from several countries have called on IMO member states to be “bold and ambitious” in implementing effective decarbonisation rules. 

During the Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) held on Monday, Danish Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Morten Bødskov, said, “We must do much more to reach the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.”

One of the initiatives the minister seeks to implement is a CO2 levy on shipping, reported the Danish website Shipping Watch. In an interview with the website, the minister mentioned that he also seeks to convince other countries to adopt this approach.

”The EU, (…), has set a clear target of no later than 2050, and that must be realized with a measure that we are also familiar with in Denmark, a carbon levy,” said Bødskov as he commented on the decarbonisation efforts in the region.

Denmark plans to partner with local industry players to realise the CO2 levy, which they believe could push shipping companies to reduce their emissions. The funds collected would be used to support other countries in achieving climate goals, reports Shipping Watch.

As part of his speech at the SMW held in Singapore, IMO’s Secretary-General Kitack Lim said, “I believe that as they debate, the new strategy IMO member states must be ambitious and bold enough to elevate their vision and their levels of ambitions towards 2050.” The event witnessed active participation by officials from Europe, the US and Asia.