© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/15718085-13431093 The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 34 (2019) 482–512 brill.com/estu THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARINE AND COASTAL LAW The IMO Initial Strategy for the Reduction of GHGs from International Shipping: A Commentary Aldo Chircop Canada Research Chair in Maritime Law and Policy, Marine and Environmental Law Institute, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada Abstract In 2018 the IMO adopted the initial Strategy for the international shipping industry’s reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions towards achieving the goal set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. At this time the Strategy is no more than a preliminary struc- ture to frame the measures that will need to be adopted for the short, medium and long terms. In the short term (2018–2023) a first suite of measures will be adopted, and the initial Strategy will be revised and adopted as changed in 2023 with pro- posed measures for the medium term (2023–2030) and long term (2030–2050 and beyond). New international standards, tools and best practices will be needed to supplement the existing energy efficiency management rules in the International Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973/78. This article discusses the Strategy and the role of the IMO in leading the shipping industry on the road to decarbonization. Keywords greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) – International Maritime Organization (IMO) GHG strategy – International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973/78 (MARPOL) – Paris Agreement Introduction The Paris Agreement adopted on 12 December 2015 is the most recent mile- stone in global efforts to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas