 |
 |
January 21, 2005
Green MEP seeks stricter controls as ship sulphur emissions spiral
By Hugh O'Mahony
Report recommends reinstating 0.5% limit - but allows alternative means of meeting these limits
Sulphur emissions from ships would soon exceed land-based industries if legislators stood idly by, according to the Brussels MP who has submitted proposed amendments to the European Union's developing directive on marine fuels.
Satu Hassi, the Finnish Green MEP who is vice-chair of the European Parliament's environmental committee on marine fuels, said it was an "evident fact" that emissions from marine sources were growing. "Land-based emissions have been reduced and the relative share generated by shipping has grown and shipping itself is growing. If we do nothing, ship emissions will exceed land-based in the not very distant future."
It was for this reason that Mrs Hassi said her report recommended reinstating a proposed 0.5% limit on sulphur emissions in Sulphur Emission Control Areas from January 1, 2010, where a Council of Ministers 'common position' settled for 1.5%.
"My starting point is that the Parliament keeps the basic ideas of the first reading," said Mrs. Hassi. "The measures were adopted by a very big majority." She said that, judging by the backing the stricter sulphur emission limits had received from parties across the political spectrum in the first reading, it was likely that Parliament would back her stance. "I understood that the conservative group [which holds 22 of the 50 seats on the Committee] shares our thinking on developing cleaner and better technology, so long as legislation is not harmful to competitiveness." Tight control of emissions from ships was necessary because of the harm acid rain was doing - particularly to nature in Northern Europe and to health and property in Southern Europe.
Mrs Hassi said she was seeking to define the Mediterranean and the North East Atlantic as Secas. Her proposals should be viewed as flexible, and not hardline, because they allowed for alternative means of meeting emission limits. "There are several ways of meeting clean emissions, not only through the use of cleaner fuel but also scrubbing. The proposals also open the door for emissions trading."
Separate legislation would be required to develop emissions trading, she said, with responsibility lying with the Commission to propose it. Mrs Hassi said, should the European Parliament support her stance but the Council of Ministers oppose it, the matter would go to conciliation. In this event: "The most important thing, I think, is not the time limits in years but the 0.5% limit in Secas."
Asked why Europe should act unilaterally rather than through the IMO Mrs Hassi said: "That sounds very nice but to get progress with Marpol needs political pressure."
The European Union was not alone in wanting tighter controls on sulphur emissions.
The US, Mexico and Canada were preparing to make proposals to IMO that would "go much further" than Annex VI of Marpol, she said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
