There is something about the transition of one year into another that heightens one's concern for the future, ever more so with the looming threat of climate crisis. Weather, water and climate-related disasters including extreme flooding, heat and drought affected millions of people and cost billions of dollars in 2022, as the tell-tale signs and impacts of human-induced climate change intensified. The environmental catastrophes of 2022 once again underlined the clear need to do much more and pressure is mounting on the shipping industry to speed up its climate mitigation efforts. It was with this backdrop that the 79th session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) took place from 12-16 December. Several matters were on the agenda at MEPC 79, such as adopting mandatory MARPOL amendments concerning regional facilities in Arctic waters, changes to garbage record books and bunker delivery note regulations. But without doubt the big issue that dominated the meeting was the revision of IMO's strategy to reduce GHG emissions from ships.
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