A Roadmap to Cut Emissions in the Mediterranean

Over the last few months, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has repeatedly called upon European government to enforce policy for a greener economy. These calls come after COVID-19 lockdowns inspired many notice the newly clean air and blue skies.

In the search for the pandemic’s silver lining, there may be a temptation to accept that healing the environment comes with plunging millions into joblessness as economies grind to a halt

UNEP’s Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) works to underpin the implementation of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) by 21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union. It infamously has called for a green renaissance in the Mediterranean.

Meeting in Naples, Italy, in December 2019, the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention adopted a “Roadmap for a Proposal for the Possible Designation of the Mediterranean Sea, as a whole, as an Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides Pursuant to MARPOL Annex VI, within the Framework of the Barcelona Convention.”

Although it was tabled before the pandemic, the proposal highlights the necessary steps to build back greener in the region. Now, many Mediterranean leaders have an opportunity to demonstrate that they mean green business.

The proposed Emission Control Area (ECA) for Sulphur Oxides in the Mediterranean would cap Sulphur Oxides content in fuel oil burnt by ships at one fifth of the legal limit currently in place.

Right now, the only other ECAs to exist are in North America and Northern Europe.

Exposure to certain concentrations of air pollutants like Sulphur Oxides is linked to risks of contracting lung cancer, cardiovascular illnesses and asthma. Cleaner air means better health, including a reduced vulnerability to diseases like COVID-19.

The proposed ECA would bring significant benefits for the environment, too. When released in the atmosphere, Sulphur Oxides can cause acid rain and exacerbate ocean acidification.

Curbing these emissions would also yield improvements in visibility both inland and at sea across large swathes of North Africa and in the Straits of Gibraltar.

If it sees the light of day, the positive ripple effect of Mediterranean ECA would go beyond the shipping sector. It would send a signal to market forces telling them that it is time to shift the needle towards a greener economy and lifestyle.