At the?UN?climate talks?in Durban, the global shipping industry, Oxfam and WWF have joined forces to suggest to governments how the further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping might best be regulated.

Oxfam, WWF and the International Chamber of Shipping (which represents over 80% of the world merchant fleet) call on delegates to COP 17 to give the International Maritime Organization (IMO) clear guidance on continuing its work on reducing shipping emissions through the development of Market Based Measures (MBMs).

The organisations maintain that an effective regulatory framework for curbing emission of CO2 from international shipping must be global in nature and designed so as to reduce the possibility of 'carbon leakage', while taking full account of the best interests of developing countries and the UNFCCC principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities' (CBDR).

Samantha Smith, Leader of WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative, said:

"We are very pleased that the shipping industry acknowledges its responsibility to play its part in further reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With around 3% of the world's total emissions, full participation of the shipping sector will help greatly towards keeping global warming below the 2°C target agreed by governments. Putting a charge on carbon in the global shipping sector can have huge benefits in meeting our climate change objectives."

The UK Committee on Climate Change's chief executive David Kennedy said emissions from shipping needed to be part of the overall goal to cut greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050 because they were "too big and too worrying to forget about".

A report from the committee estimates that with efforts to reduce emissions from other areas such as the power sector, by 2050 shipping could account for up to 11% of the total greenhouses gases the UK is allowed to emit under the legally binding targets in the Climate Change Act.