New trade deals just add to climate chaos

BORIS Johnson has great ability as an orator. It gives him the ability to entertain an audience without actually saying anything of any substance.

With Cop26 almost here, he is admitting the summit “...could fail to make the progress needed.”

However, it might profit him to look closer to home rather than spend time making airy promises that he won’t be anywhere to be seen when the implementation dates arrive, and pointing his finger at other countries and international companies.

There are several areas where it appears we have no implementation strategy.

For example, merchant shipping, which if it were a country would be the sixth-largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, it is also a major polluter via release of ballast water containing aquatic invasive species, historical use of anti-foulants, oil and chemical spills, dry bulk cargo releases, general garbage and underwater noise.

World shipping was left out of the Paris Agreement because it was felt too difficult to monitor. This is no longer the case, as technology can monitor every large ship for carbon emissions.

Clean transport advocates argue that we must reduce our demand for cargo transport by using what’s locally available and at the same time generally consuming less.

The Earth’s remaining carbon budget is fast shrinking and all sectors must do their fair share to limit emissions.

The Stern report strongly recommended carbon pricing to help reduce emissions.

This country is striking trade deals with countries on the other side of the world that have the potential to increase world shipping.

These deals represent no real advantage to this country and will bring produce to this country that can be obtained in adequate quantities much closer to home.

Detailed analysis of our trading behaviour on the world stage is not limited to shipping.

However, we lack credible detailed analysis of our interaction with the climate and the natural world in general.

The words of our politicians would carry much more weight if they were backed up with detailed analysis and were part of a coherent plan.

Derek Kennington

Tavistock