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We’re about to kill a massive, accidental experiment in reducing global warming

• megaman22 9y ago
  > In 2016, the UN’s International Maritime Organization announced that by 2020, international shipping vessels will have to significantly cut sulfur pollution. Specifically, ship owners must switch to fuels with no more than 0.5 percent sulfur content, down from the current 3.5 percent, or install exhaust cleaning systems that achieve the same reduction, Shell noted in a brochure for customers. The UN has teeth like a 17-year old golden retriever... So who is actually going to enforce these mandates? I don't think the various flag-of-convenience countries will go out of their way to enforce regulations. Nor, in the present circumstances, would I expect much movement on the issue from the United States or China.
  • lozenge 9y ago
    ICAO, the U.N.agency for flights, is regulatory captured by the airlines, manufacturers and fuel providers, wrt the huge environmental impact of aviation. It wouldn't surprise me if the same were true for IMO. Meaning, changes in the market/technology have got the industry 95% of the way to the target, and they have added the target and will do the last 5% for the PR and to keep the rest of the UN environmental stuff (including the next COP meetings) off their backs.