COUNTRIES in the Pacific region must focus on the transit to low carbon shipping to ensure they reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Maritime policy specialist Avnita Goundar said the region’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) that was submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on reductions in greenhouse gas emissions did not focus on the drive to low carbon shipping.

“Low carbon shipping continues to be viewed as a ‘high hanging fruit’ and is still not a priority in regional and national development agendas when compared to electricity generation,” Ms Goundar said.

“There is an urgent need for development of more robust data collection methods and data analysis for determining appropriate sectoral emission reduction targets in INDCs.

“If you are trying to set a target you need to know the baseline, like this is what the country’s emissions are now and from there a country is able to work out its target.”

Ms Goundar said sustainable shipping, its contributions to lowering shipping emissions and its links to climate change must be addressed at a national level.

“Unless this issue is addressed in the INDC it will be very difficult for the countries to transit to low carbon shipping.

“INDCs links to the government’s development agenda so if it is not shown than how can you say that shipping is a priority and how can you go to donors and investors and say that this issue is a priority.”