Out of Sync: The Making and Remaking of Data and Regulations on Greenhouse Gases at the International Maritime Organization

Abstract

This article explores the entanglements of the making of data and climate regulations at a specialized UN agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Based on observant participation, document analysis, and interviews, I examine the politics of making and remaking a new data infrastructure—the Data Collection System (DCS)—and how the limitations and hopes invested in this infrastructure shape the global governance of greenhouse gas emissions in international shipping. I analyze how the DCS shapes the design and pacing of new regulations based on what data are available and when they are available, and how at the same time the politics and regulatory process of the IMO shapes the making and remaking of the DCS and how the data can be used. I unpack the politics that unfold when the production of data and regulations are coupled but are out of sync and shed light on the present and future roles of data in international negotiations. As the DCS and regulatory development at the IMO become entangled, I argue this creates a form of governance-through-data which slows down the regulatory process but nonetheless supports consensus-building among parties at a time marked by deep political tensions.