THE International Maritime Organization (IMO) is giving priority to seafarers’ safety, decarbonization and diversity in 2025.
IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez made this announcement in his New Year video message. “This is a big year for IMO,” he said, “and I remain positive that member states and stakeholders will find common ground and adopt the technical and economic measures that will allow the sector to meet the objectives set up in the 2023 GHG strategy and decarbonizing the sector by or around 2050.”
He added, “When it comes to seafarers, we need to enhance the safety and security of the key personnel on board ships. We also need to focus on increasing the support that we provide to them, not just on decarbonization, but also when it comes to reducing the criminalization of seafarers.”
Shipping, responsible for transporting 90 percent of global trade, is vital to the world’s economy. It is also responsible for 3 percent of global emissions, so it is essential for the sector to decarbonize as soon as possible. IMO has committed to reducing emissions by 40 percent by 2030 by switching to low-carbon fuel alternatives and exploring digital technologies to make ships run more efficiently.
The IMO secretary general also highlighted the importance of diversity in shipping.
“We have made progress, particularly when it comes to gender in the maritime sector, but the reality is that there is more to come. I will continue to be firm on my commitment and my policy of not participating and engaging in panels where there is no female representation,” he added.
Finally, IMO is focusing on the sustainability of the oceans. “For IMO, the theme [for World Maritime Day 2025] is ‘Our ocean, Our obligation, Our opportunity,'” Dominguez said.
The focus on the sustainability of the oceans has become more important and urgent than ever in the face of the wildfires that continue to rage across Los Angeles as we write this.
Experts said that warming temperatures are fueling these wildfires. Because of climate change, autumn and winter rains were delayed in parts of California. Reports revealed that since July 2024, the area has had the second-lowest rainfall in 150 years. Scientists said that gases from burning oil, coal and gas are making wildfires in California more frequent and dangerous.
This has made the area more vulnerable to burning, according to the reports. Although strong winds are considered normal for this time of the year, the winds that are driving the fires in Los Angeles are often drier as a result of climate change and, therefore, more dangerous.
Dr. Noah Diffenbaugh, Stanford climate scientist, said in a television interview that “climate change is contributing to the warming, not only globally, but in California in the Southern California region. We know that is elevating the risk that wind and other weather conditions come together, and the odds of severe wildfire conditions are elevated.”
The year 2024 holds the record for being the hottest recorded year, exceeding the global warming limit of 1.5 C for the first time. This was confirmed by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which said “the climate crisis is pushing the planet’s temperature to levels never before experienced by modern humans.”
Ten years ago, governments acceded under the 2015 Paris Agreement to try to keep average temperatures at 1.5 C to avoid more severe climate disasters.
However, the planet’s average temperature in 2024 was 1.6 C higher than in 1850-1900, the “pre-industrial period before humans began burning carbon dioxide-emitting fossil fuels on a large scale,” C3S said.
The relation between climate change and wildfires goes both ways. While climate change causes wildfires, the smoke, ashes and sediments from the fires can, in turn, reduce water quality in streams, rivers and oceans and could endanger marine life. The vicious cycle poses a challenge to the sustainability of marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
Although C3S Director Carlo Buontempo called the trajectory “incredible,” he remains positive that “it’s not a done deal. We have the power to change the trajectory.”
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