Very different takes on the same report

Green lobby and industry body are each cherry picking what suits their agendas

Published Tue, Aug 11, 2020 · 09:50 PM

LAST week, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) published its Fourth Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Study on the Internet. It is not a read for the faint hearted. I managed the executive summary and reached for the aspirin halfway through skimming the main report.

Fortunately, I have not been the only one with an interest in this latest piece of IMO research and so there are summaries available. But you have to know what particular axe is being sharpened.

Environmental campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) was quick off the mark, saying the study shows carbon pollution from ships could increase by up to 50 percent by 2050 if left unchecked.

That word "could" is really useful when trying to w…