Pacific States battles at the IMO negotiations to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from shipping

Although very well entrenched in the Pacific psyche through the words of Epeli Hau'ofa in his 1993 work 'Our Sea of Islands', the peculiarity of the situation of Pacific States in relation to maritime connectivity is both poorly comprehended and not economically important enough to be considered with the attention it deserves on the international scene. In this context, the mere idea of Pacific States’ delegates having any weight in the negotiations for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships at the Marine Environment Protection Committee might seem quite laughable. Especially as the shipping industry likes to remind us that over 90% of world trade is seaborne. It is therefore even more remarkable that a coalition of Pacific States, have been sending a handful delegates to participate in the IMO negotiations