U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently addressed the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Assembly, discussing how the Biden administration will tackle climate change, supply issues and workplace harassment.
“The IMO has been central to addressing maritime challenges around safety, oil spill prevention, and much more. And as we look to the most pressing issues facing us all today and tomorrow, the U.S. continues to see the IMO as a very important institution,” Buttigieg said according to a Department of Transportation (DOT) transcript of his speech.
He added that sea levels continue to rise and gas emissions from the maritime industry “contribute significantly to climate change. That’s why the U.S. is pressing for the IMP to adopt a goal of zero emissions from international shipping by 2050.”
Along with the U.S., the United Kingdom and other countries are launching the Clydebank Declaration for green shipping corridors, Buttigieg said in his speech. He added that supply chain issues, impacting every IMO member state, will never be fixed unless climate change is addressed.
“This has been exacerbated by the pandemic, but it didn’t start there,” Buttigieg said to the Assembly. “With the increasing effects of climate change, unless we act these disruptions will continue to grow. As President Biden said in Italy in October, we can reduce delays and increase resiliency if we work together to make global supply chains more diverse, secure and sustainable.”
Buttigieg also touched on the needs mariners have for protection against workplace harassment.
“I want to emphasize one area where the need for action is particularly urgent,” Buttigieg said to the Assembly. “For too long, sexual assault and sexual harassment in maritime shipping has been an open secret, affecting the industry around the world. Statements and commitments of zero tolerance must be backed by concrete, deliberate action.”
