LONDON: The International Maritime Organization, overseer of the highly-polluting shipping industry, sealed a landmark deal Friday to improve its target to cut carbon emissions but green campaigners said it fell far short.

Compared with 2008 levels, the United Nations’ global shipping regulator agreed to cut total annual emissions of greenhouse gases “by at least 20 percent, striving for 30 percent, by 2030” and “by at least 70 percent, striving for 80 percent, by 2040” according to the agreement. That

compared with the prior target for a 50-percent reduction by mid-century from 2008.

The International Maritime Organization described the deal as “historic”, adding that it “remains committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping and, as a matter of urgency, aims to phase them out as soon as possible”.

The IMO said the “carbon intensity” of ships was expected to decline over time with “further improvement of energy efficiency” of new vessels.

Shipping emits roughly the same level of greenhouse gases as aviation, which is aiming for net zero by 2050. The deal came at the end of a five-day meeting at the IMO’s headquarters in London, attended by representatives from 100 countries. The gathering of its Marine Environment Protection Commission pitted climate-vulnerable nations — particularly islands in the Pacific — and richer countries against big exporters like China.

The vast majority of the world’s 100,000 cargo ships — which carry 90 percent of the world’s goods — are powered by highly-polluting diesel. Shipping is responsible for around three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions according to the UN.