@ Barcelona: A breakthrough
The novel, refund version of IMERS has been tabled at the Barcelona Climate Change Talks (2 - 6 Nov, 2009)!
The proposal Innovative Financing and International Maritime Emission Reduction Scheme has been submitted
.
A layman 1-page outline is available, entitled: 2 for 1: Financing climate action and Cutting shipping emissions 
(0.2 MB).
Progress in Barcelona
The proposal has been submitted under the track known as 1b (iv), called:
- Enhanced action on mitigation and its associated means of implementation;
Subgroup on paragraph 1 (b) (iv) of the Bali Action Plan
(cooperative sectoral approaches and sector specific actions).
The proposal is linked to the provision of financial resources, namely to paragraphs referring to:
"Levies on emissions from international maritime transport for developed countries ...", and similar.
See the latest: Non-paper No. 54, and Non-paper No. 34.
In a nutshell, the submission proposes to:
- Implement a market-based levy on emissions from international maritime transport which differentiates between responsibilities [and capabilities] of developed and developing countries. Such levy would apply globally.
The scheme would raise circa $10bn+ annually for action on climate change in developing countries. At the same time, it would reduce emissions, and generate benefits to end customers through reduced costs of transport. A short presentation is available
(0.4 MB).
The submission has been made possible thanks to leadership of Transport and Environment decision makers in Nigeria, and Liberia (both developing countries). It has been championed by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) since negotiations in Bangkok, 2009.