Opportunity Green has put forward a supporting submission to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) urging the Tribunal to consider shipping emissions.

This submission will support a request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS).

Opportunity Green’s submission is calling on the Tribunal to clarify countries’ legal obligations to stop the pollution of the marine environment and protect it from climate change impacts. In particular, it urges the Tribunal to formally recognise that countries – whether at international or domestic level – must adopt rules on vessel pollution that are in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature goal to meet their legal obligations under the Law of the Sea.