Amidst ongoing reforms in the carbon market, China has launched the Emission Trading System (ETS) and implemented environmental protection taxes as strategic tools to curtail carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, these measures currently do not regulate the maritime transport sector. As a result, a renewed examination of the maritime transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions framework may be beneficial, particularly drawing from the experiences and methodologies applied in EU maritime transport GHG emissions reduction policies. This examination includes the selection of policy instruments for carbon emissions reduction from an internal policy standpoint and understanding carbon emissions mechanisms from an international policy perspective. Furthermore, this paper reassesses the legal parameters of the EU’s unilateral action against international shipping under the frameworks of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It then discusses the potential for more effective strategies in developing maritime transport GHG emissions reduction policies in China, given the evolving landscape.

Jacqueline Wang. Review of EU Maritime Transport Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Policies: Better Prospects for Policy Makers in China?. International Journal of Frontiers in Sociology (2023), Vol. 5, Issue 9: 125-130. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFS.2023.050920.

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