October 2024: Given the harmful impacts shipping has on the climate, environment and biodiversity which in turn affect a range of human rights, the sector should be at the centre stage of addressing the sustainability challenges facing our oceans.

To illustrate, global shipping carries over 80% of world merchandise trade by volume and accounts for approximately 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The emission of black carbon (BC) by the shipping industry is also concerning as the pollutant has the second highest greenhouse effect after carbon dioxide (CO2), and is the second largest contributor to Arctic warming.

Further, shipping negatively affects marine ecosystems and species, such as through the discharge of toxic scrubber washwater in the sea, vessel collisions with marine species and underwater radiated noise.

In 2023, the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Dr. Marcos A. Orellana, examined the impact of the shipping sector on human rights and the environment. The report outlined, inter alia, the exposure to toxics of people working in the shipping industry, air and water pollution from ships affecting people in port cities and coastal communities, and the sector’s climate impacts, concluding that the shipping industry impacts a wide range of human rights.

This submission seeks to build and elaborate on Dr. Orellana’s work and highlight the importance of centralising shipping in a human rights framework for the oceans. While this response primarily focuses on shipping’s air pollution impact in relation to oceans and human rights, it is important to note that shipping’s air polluting emissions are intertwined with broader climate and biodiversity impacts that could not be detailed within the constraints of this response.