Protecting the oceans from dumping of hazardous wastes at sea through full implementation of the London Protocol (LP), including carbon capture and storage in the sub-seabed, was the subject of a national workshop in Antananarivo, Madagascar (21-23 May).
The LP prohibits all dumping at sea, other than when explicitly permitted under the terms of the treaty, and contains measures for climate change mitigation. These measures include carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the sub-seabed, which can help reduce the impacts of increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Madagascar, a small island developing State (SIDS), acceded to the LP in July 2017.
During the workshop, twenty-five senior Malagasy officials from maritime and environmental authorities, the ports sector and NGOs covered all legal, technical and administrative matters to support implementation of the LP, with a focus on the climate change aspects of the treaty.
Participants were introduced to the LP in the context of a legal framework for marine pollution management and identified next steps for future coordination and cooperation to ensure effective implementation. Awareness was also raised on the management of port environments to ensure the sustainability of development and ongoing operations through protection of the environment, including preventing pollution and contamination.
The workshop was hosted by the Agence Portuaire Maritime et Fluviale (APMF) and funded by the Republic of Korea through the Organization’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP). It comes as part of IMO's continuous efforts to support UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 (life below water), with a view to creating awareness and dialogue around specific ocean governance issues.