Green Transition Must Not Jeopardize Global Food Security, Warns Dr. Ali to UN Agency

As the worldwide community intensifies its endeavors to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the shift towards greener and more sustainable energy sources should not have adverse effects on food security, particularly for developing and susceptible nations.

This is because access to nutritious food in adequate quantities by all those who need it is a fundamental human right – a fact which must not be overlooked in the pursuit of greenhouse reduction measures.

The Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, retired Navy Captain Kamal-Deen Ali, PhD., made this statement during the 18th ^th Gathering of the Intra-Session Working Group on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from vessels, held at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London.

The gathering, orchestrated by the IMO—a UN body—furthered talks about the mid-term technical and economic strategies essential for backing the execution of greenhouse gas-cutting actions within maritime operations, as detailed in the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.

Dr. Ali commended the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the IMO for serving as a platform for a comprehensive impact assessment of the implementation of the mid-term measures on food security, saying that was extremely helpful in the decision-making process.

The Ghanaian delegation took cognizance of the findings of the literature review conducted by the World Maritime University on behalf of IMO relating to the impact of the mid-term measures on maritime logistics cost – which is likely to increase after the adoption of the measures – with potentially corresponding negative impact on food security.

We emphasize that the worries regarding food security in Ghana extend beyond just basic food items," noted the Director-General. "These concerns also encompass crucial agricultural supplies like fertilizers and equipment, which are vital for maintaining food security both within our nation and across numerous African countries.

He emphasized that "The adverse effects on food security will consequently lead to higher food import costs and erode the livelihoods of millions across Africa." Although more than 90 percent of internationally traded products rely on sea transport, the shipping sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to the combustion of fossil fuels by vessels.

The IMO has consequently been vigorously pursuing efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from vessels and established an ambitious objective in July 2023 to achieve net-zero emissions by or near 2050. Implementing these emission-reducing measures will likely lead to higher costs for maritime logistics, which could result in increased food prices across various regions globally—a primary concern for the Ghanaian delegation.

Consequently, Ghana requested additional empirical evaluation of how these measures affect food security in developing nations. As Dr. Ali noted, this step would help establish corrective actions to reduce negative effects prior to implementing such measures.

“We want to emphasize that addressing negative impact on food security is a humanitarian issue and a responsibility of the (International Maritime) Organization, and should take center stage in whichever measure(s) that would be adopted,” the GMA DG emphasised.

The maritime specialist stated, "Given that our nation is an emerging one in Africa, facing significant vulnerability to climate change and having an economy prone to disruptions, it is undeniable that we will face disproportionately adverse effects from the upcoming intermediate-stage IMO greenhouse gas regulations."

He pointed out the findings from the IMO comprehensive impact assessment that show potentially “negative impacts on our GDP, consumer prices in general, and food security— a price too heavy to pay for implementing the GHG measures, if no conscious remedial measures are put in place.”

Dr. Ali cautioned that Ghana would not be “in support of a measure that would affect our economy, derail our development priorities and increase Ghana’s economic vulnerabilities.”\xa0 He, therefore, entreated the IMO to consider the development priorities of African countries by designing measures that would ensure minimal impact on economies.

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