Green Transition

By Suci Lestari Yuana and Maria Josefina Figueroa

Photo: IGPA community workshop with natural paint.

In the pursuit of a sustainable future, the adoption of Circular Economy (CE) principles has become increasingly imperative. However, despite its theoretical emphasis, the practical integration of CE into daily activities remains a challenge. Our research project focuses on mainstreaming CE education through the agency of schools, aiming to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

The Circular School Program Partnership, which introduces the Indonesia Green Principal Award (IGPA), is a trimester initiative coordinated by the Centre for World Trade Studies (CWTS) at Universitas Gadjah Mada and JBI Education Consulting. Its primary objective is to advocate for circular economy principles within the realms of elementary, junior high, and high school education. This program addresses the urgent environmental challenges and economic development requirements in Indonesia. By centering on the shift from linear to circular economy mindsets, the initiative invites school principals as catalysts for change, empowering them to instill sustainable practices in their educational institutions. Emphasizing collaboration in circular economy efforts among academia, industry, government, and society, the program fosters networks, and synergies to progress towards a circular society. Having been gradually implemented over nearly two years, the IGPA program blends competition and mentoring to actively engage participants. Through raising awareness and championing circular economy principles, the initiative aims to establish a network of committed school principals dedicated to fostering transformative change for a sustainable future.

Unveiling Mundane Circular Economy Policy: A Paradigm Shift in School Practices

Our study involved engaging school principals and staff across Java to understand how schools participate in the Circular Economy. Through insightful conversations and observations, we delved into how these institutions integrate the 5R principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Redesign) and CE into their daily education activities.

Schools, as colossal entities with substantial resource consumption, play a crucial role in shaping sustainable practices. CE principles enable schools to transform waste into valuable assets, such as creating art installations from discarded materials. Despite the increasing prioritization of CE, there exists a disparity between theory and implementation, as highlighted in previous studies.

Our study introduces the Mundane Circular Economy Policy (MCEP), a concept that bridges the gap between CE principles and everyday practices. MCEP translates CE principles into practical actions applicable in various contexts, emphasizing the incorporation of CE into everyday life activities. This concept extends beyond schools and can be applied in companies, organizations, and government institutions.

Mapping the Path to Sustainability: Tools and Findings from the Field

Photo: IGPA community workshop on circular waste management

We invited alumni of the Indonesian Green Principal Awards (IGPA) to participate in our workshop, employing Multi-Criteria Mapping (MCM) Analysis and Transformative Outcomes Tools. This resulted in three key findings: Mundane Circular School Decision Mapping, Mundane Decision Prioritization Mapping, and Transformative Pathways for Mundane Circular School Transition. The map can be accessed here:

The Mundane Circular School Decision Mapping compiles circular economy decisions tailored to schools’ needs, providing a guide to translate 5R principles into actionable and implementable school programs at the everyday level. The map can be accessed here:

Evaluating various CE programs, the Mundane Decision Prioritization Mapping identifies short-term implementation priorities, creating a roadmap for schools to prioritize and implement circular practices aligned with their unique contexts and resources.

Presented as an onion ring model, the Transformative Pathways for Mundane Circular School Transition outlines step-by-step processes to realize circular schools, emphasizing transformative pathways for sustainable change.

Beyond the Classroom: MCEP’s Ripple Effect on Institutions and Beyond

Photo: IGPA community workshop in co-creating the Mundane Circular Economy Policy

In this exploration of Mundane Circular Economy Policy (MCEP) and its integration into schools, our research journey has unveiled not only the potential within educational institutions but also the ripple effects that extend beyond the classroom walls. As we conclude this discourse, several key insights gleaned from our study and the subsequent evaluation workshop stand out, emphasizing the transformative change catalyzed by the Indonesia Green Principal Award (IGPA) program.

The collaborative outcomes observed among IGPA program participants emphasize the potential for creating a transformative community of practice. Principals actively engage in discussions, exchange knowledge, and plan collaborative projects, extending the workshop’s impact. The IGPA program, acting as a knowledge platform, not only imparts valuable insights into circular economy principles but also fosters ongoing dialogue and collaborative initiatives among educators. Our commitment to transformative change involves nurturing a community of practice for sustainable development, recognizing the power of evaluation for critical reflection and continuous improvement. By fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing, we aim to drive innovation and create a meaningful impact both locally and beyond.

Moving forward, our research team remains dedicated to implementing Mundane Circular Economy Policy tools in our ongoing initiatives and extending these tools to our peers. Collaborative research projects, workshops, seminars, and knowledge-sharing initiatives will form the foundation of our community-building efforts. Through engagement with the TIP community and leveraging existing networks, we aim to inspire and empower others to drive transformative change in their respective domains.

In conclusion, our research sheds light on the transformative potential of Mundane Circular Economy Policy in schools, emphasizing the importance of integrating CE principles into everyday practices. By sharing our findings, we hope to inspire educators, policymakers, and institutions to embrace sustainable practices, contributing to a circular and resilient future.

Suci Lestari Yuana, a lecturer at Universitas Gadjah Mada, specializes in circular economy and sustainability transitions. Completing her PhD in June 2024 at Utrecht University, her research focuses on digital platform innovation and sustainability transition in Indonesia. Suci founded STAIR Community Indonesia and serves as Managing Editor of the Global South Review journal, advocating for sustainable practices and scholarly discourse on the circular economy. She also leads the Mundane Circular Economy Policy research, a collaborative project between UGM and Copenhagen Business School.

Maria Josefina Figueroa, an Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School,  Department of Management Society and Communication. Specializes in Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Transitions. Her research intersects scholarship from sustainability science, comparative social impact assessments of climate mitigation action, the impact of sectoral climate policies, business practices, and partnerships, emphasizing just energy transition and sustainable development with an emphasis on emerging economies, vulnerable populations, and urban areas. Among other engagements Maria has two times participated as lead author of the IPCC Assessment Report (AR), in 2022 IPCC AR6; and 2015 AR5, and contributed to the Special Report 1.5. in 2018.

Relevant websites:

https://igpa.or.id

Blog: Evaluating Transformative Change: Insights from the Indonesia Green Principle Awards Workshop

By Hannah Elliott, Mwathi Kitonga, Fred Kung’u and Elvin Nyukuri

Seaports are bustling gateways for trade and the growing blue economy, handling around 80 per cent of world trade. In the Global South, ports are viewed as key drivers of economic development, reflected, for example, in the massive increase in port infrastructure investment in Africa since the mid-2000s. Beyond facilitating trade, however, Southern ports are increasingly seen as important nodes in the international maritime decarbonization effort.

Shipping’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, constituting 3% of the global total, have surged by 20% over the past decade, with the industry dependent on an ageing world fleet that runs almost entirely on fossil fuels. Without intervention, emissions could soar to 130% of their 2008 levels by 2050. Decarbonization is imperative, yet the sector grapples with significant investment requirements and uncertainty surrounding the best transition methods. Unchecked emissions from the shipping industry exacerbate the planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss, posing threats to coastal communities worldwide. This includes rising sea levels, intensified extreme weather events and alarming loss of marine diversity.

In response to these challenges, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN regulatory body for the global shipping industry, in July 2023 unveiled a revised GHG strategy aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, a significantly more ambitious strategy than its 2018 predecessor, whose goals did not align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees Celsius. IMO member states are now tasked with coming up with the regulatory measures through which to achieve the new strategy, which must be agreed upon by spring 2025. These will update existing measures as currently captured in MARPOL Annex VI, which imposes limits on harmful pollutants in air emissions from ships.

Crucial to the realization of the IMO’s new strategy is the enforcement of its conventions. In principle, this is the responsibility of IMO member states, who are tasked with governing the ships they register in their capacity as flag states. However, this has proved an ineffective system due to the pervasive industry practice of ‘flagging out’, whereby ship owners register their ships in open registries hosted by countries with lenient regulations and lower taxes. Known as ‘flags of convenience’, some registries undermine the enforcement of international maritime conventions due to their tendency to play a minimal role in the governance of the ships they register.

In the context of a disjointed, uneven system of enforcement by flag states, port states are considered an important ‘safety net’ for catching non-compliant ships. Port State Control (PSC) inspections act as checkpoints to ensure compliance with international regulations set by the IMO, including the MARPOL convention. PSC activities are coordinated by regional Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on Port State Control, which, through standardized ship selection methods, inspection regimes, codes of conduct, training and the sharing of inspection data seek to harmonize PSC practices in port states across the world. In addition to PSC inspections, port states are seen as enablers of maritime decarbonization through facilitating efficient port calls, providing onshore power so that ships can switch off their engines while at berth, and offering low or zero carbon fuels and bunkering infrastructure.

Port states in the Global South are increasingly the focus of IMO-led initiatives to promote and support the decarbonization agenda, including through the work of regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres, which seek to promote technologies and operations towards decarbonization in small islands developing states and least developed countries; the IMO Cares project, which aims to facilitate decarbonization technology and knowledge transfer between the Global North and South; and GreenVoyage2050, which supports developing countries to reduce GHG emissions from shipping. The Environmental Maritime Governance in Kenya (EMG-K) project, undertaken by a consortium of researchers in Kenya and Denmark, focuses on Kenya’s engagement with IMO’s maritime decarbonization agenda. Kenya is an important port state, with Mombasa port serving as the main gateway to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Kenya is also an important member of the IMO, having recently been reelected to the IMO Council, and is one of the most active members of the Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, conducting regular PSC inspections on ships calling at Mombasa.

Recent fieldwork among maritime stakeholders highlights Kenya’s aspirations to be at the forefront of maritime decarbonization in the region. Kenya has proved to be a trailblazer in terms of climate regulations more broadly, being the first nation on the continent to push a national climate change bill through parliament in 2016. The country’s ambitions for its maritime sector are reflected in its Blue Economy Strategy and the establishment of a new Ministry for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs in early 2023 under the presidency of William Ruto. Kenya is highly engaged in IMO’s decarbonization agenda: the country hosts the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre Africa and is a participant in the IMO’s GreenVoyage2050. Kenya Ports Authority has also adopted a Green Port Policy for Mombasa port, including plans to offer onshore solar power to ships at berth along with alternative fuels.

Our ongoing research identifies a number of challenges that Kenya must grapple with if it is to realise its regulatory aspirations in practice. The country’s interest and investment in the blue economy is relatively recent, and must contend with the legacies of long-standing national neglect of the maritime sector, in particular when it comes to maritime training and expertise. Enforcement of IMO conventions via PSC inspections requires highly trained maritime professionals at the level of chief engineer or master mariner who have completed the on-the-job training on board ships known in the industry as ‘sea time’. The maritime authority faces a generation gap in their human resources, as a generation of older high-ranking seafarers who trained overseas retires and a younger generation continues to undergo training through national institutions. As a result, PSC officers are in short supply and overstretched. Furthermore, PSC officers have found that their legal scope for enforcing IMO conventions is limited. Kenya was quick to ratify MARPOL Annex VI in 2008, but is only now, with support from IMO, concluding a lengthy process of legal domestication which will enable PSC officers to operationalize the convention and sanction non-compliant ships.

Even with domestic laws in place, Kenya’s PSC regime will be faced with the tricky balancing act of enforcing IMO conventions amid commercial pressures. In part due to the lack of legal scope to enforce to date, Mombasa port has continued to attract older ships which are more likely to pollute, raising the dilemma of how to enforce environmental regulations without disrupting business. Amid a race in the region to construct world class ports, there is much political emphasis on ensuring that Mombasa remains the port of choice for international business through providing swift and efficient operations. This may militate against the stringent enforcement of environmental regulations if associated with delays. Furthermore, the prevalence of older ships calling at Mombasa makes investments in green technologies and fuels risky and uncertain as the industry awaits decisions on the new regulatory measures to achieve IMO’s 2023 GHG strategy. Our research investigates such dilemmas for this important port state at a pivotal moment for the shipping industry, generating insights into environmental maritime governance from the Global South.

To read more about EMG-K, please see the project website.

Hannah Elliott is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Management, Society and Communication, Copenhagen Business School.

Mwathi Kitonga is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy, University of Nairobi.

Fred Kung’u is a Graduate Assistant at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy, University of Nairobi.

Elvin Nyukuri is a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy, University of Nairobi.

Picture Sources:

Picture 1: https://www.flickr.com/photos/meaact/19720060734/

Picture 2: René

By René Taudal Poulsen

Although the international shipping industry accounts for nearly three per cent of global Greenhouse Gas emissions and is a major emitter of air pollutants, it was left out of the Paris Agreement in 2015. Due to the peculiarities of global ship operations and the high mobility of ships, the question of how to reduce international shipping emissions has been referred to the United Nations’ dedicated maritime agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London. The IMO has adopted several global maritime conventions for environmental protection and maritime safety, the oldest of which came into existence after the sinking of the “Titanic” in 1912.27Today the IMO’s MARPOL Convention is the main international vehicle for maritime environmental protection. 

In response to the signing of the Paris Agreement, the IMO adopted an initial strategy for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping in 2018. The strategy expressed the goal of halving emissions by 2050 relative to 2008, but this goal has proven to misalign with the Paris’ Agreements 1.5 Degrees Celsius objective, and international shipping emissions continue to rise. The IMO members have therefore started negotiating a revision of the strategy, which could potentially strengthen the levels of ambition and pave the way for new types of global, maritime climate regulation. In these negotiations, much is at stake for the 175 IMO member countries members, and some of the classical divides between developed and developing countries about burden sharing and emissions reduction, known from the global climate negotiations in the UNFCCC, also surface in the IMO. Nevertheless, negotiations also differ from UNFCCC because the global emissions from mobile ships are difficult to allocate to national emissions inventories. The IMO has also prided itself as the first international organization to set global “mandatory energy efficiency measures for any transport sector” in 2011, signaling to the world that it sees itself as having sufficient capacity to address the difficult regulatory discussions.

For developing countries, climate change mitigation and the IMO negotiations are highly important for many reasons. The countries suffer from climate change and have a high dependence on cheap seaborne transportation for their imports and exports. Many of them have large ports, and some register a large part of the world fleet. Stricter environmental regulation would benefit developing countries in the form of climate change mitigation as well as improvements of local air quality in port cities, but could potentially affect trade through rising freight rates. Another important matter to keep in mind is the ongoing IMO discussions concerning the possible introduction of a global market-based measure, such as a global tax on marine fuel. Such a mechanism could potentially generate very large funds while facilitating the uptake of low-emission fuels. It is expected that the IMO member states will discuss such measures in the coming three years, and discussions on how to use funding are likely to be intense and difficult. For some developing countries, not least in Africa, new business and job opportunities could also come from the production of low-emission marine fuels from wind and solar energy.  

Despite the obvious high stakes, the maritime GHG discussions have not attracted so much attention in many African countries. Research on environmental governance and global environmental politics has also neglected the engagement of developing countries in maritime emission abatement efforts, focusing only on their presence in the UNFCCC context.   

The low profile of African countries in the IMO contrasts with many developed countries, which often have vested interests in maritime trade, ship-owning, marine equipment manufacturing, or shipbuilding. They send large delegations to IMO meetings, with representatives both from their environmental protection and transportation agencies, and they frequently make submissions to the IMO and set the agenda for the meetings. In contrast, some African countries rarely or never go to IMO meetings. Some send small delegations to London, but change delegation membership very frequently. Most African countries very rarely make submissions to the IMO, if ever. The relatively low African profile in the IMO also contrasts with the same countries’ strong engagement in the global climate negotiations in the UNFCCC. Previous research has shown that developing countries in the Pacific Ocean, which are suffering from climate change and depend on seaborne transportation, gained substantial influence on IMO’s initial GHG strategy in 2018. These countries engaged effectively in discussions in London and gained a strong voice despite the small sizes of their economies and populations. Influence does not appear to be proportional to GDP per capita or the size of the national merchant fleet, but it is clear that a stronger African participation in the IMO and the development of more inclusive maritime governance will be critical in the reduction of maritime emissions. 

In our new research project Environmental Maritime Governance in Kenya (EMG-K), we study Kenya’s engagement in the IMO’s negotiations. Kenya has a special position in the IMO, being a member of the IMO’s Council, which is the IMO’s executive organ. The country is home to the gateway port of Mombasa, which serves an extensive hinterland in South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda and the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Having historically focused on land-based resources, over the last decade Kenya has paid increasing attention to its ocean economy, viewing it as a key enabler of its national development blueprint and Mombasa port is a crucial infrastructure for the entire East African region. However, Kenya has very rarely made submissions to the IMO. Like many developing countries, the country faces the challenge of facilitating economic development via its growing maritime trades while protecting the global climate and local air quality. Kenya’s maritime engagement encapsulates one of the major dilemmas relating to international trade and environmental governance: facilitating economic development while protecting the global climate and local air quality. 

The EMG-K project, established by a Kenyan-Danish research consortium, studies how Kenya engages in the IMO and will suggest ways to make maritime governance mechanisms more inclusive and enable Kenya and other African countries to participate more effectively in the IMO negotiations and maritime emission reduction efforts. We will employ ethnographic research methods, with observation studies during meetings in London and Kenya. We will also study the IMO’s archives and interview key stakeholders involved in these processes. We will suggest ways to strengthen Kenya’s maritime governance capacity and support Kenya’s efforts to mitigate climate change and improve local air quality. In doing so, we will drive forward the literature on environmental governance and global environmental politics from a developing country perspective and shed new light on international shipping. 

The Kenyan-Danish research consortium behind the project consists of the Centre for Business and Development Studies (CBDS) at Copenhagen Business School, the Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law & Policy (CASELAP) at the University of Nairobi, and the Institute for Environmental Law and Governance (ILEG) in Nairobi. More than ten staff members from the three partner institutions are involved in the project, and the Danida Fellowship Centre has kindly provided funding for the project, which runs over three years. 

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To read more, please click here: http://drp.dfcentre.com/project/environmental-maritime-governance-in-kenya-emg-k-policy-practice-and-prospects-for-the-abatement-of-shipping-air-emissions/