Shipping business is quite dirty. Burning heavy fuel oil, shipping industry produces 13% of the world's Sulphur emissions and 15% of its nitrogen oxides. And by 2050 ships will be producing 17% of all carbon emissions if left unregulated, according to research by the European Union.
Which of the following, if true, weakens the argument in the passage above ?
I. Shipping accounts for only around 1.2% of global carbon emissions.
II. Demand for low-Sulphur fuel oil and marine diesel is expected to reduce in 2020.
III. As per rules brought in by the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency for shipping, ship owners have installed equipment to clean the dirty ballast water their ships suck in and discharge.

Correct option is C

Understanding the Argument:

• Claim in the passage: Shipping produces significant sulfur, nitrogen oxide, and carbon emissions, contributing heavily to global pollution, and will produce 17% of all carbon emissions by 2050 if unregulated.
• What weakens the argument: Any statement that undermines:
  1. The current or future impact of shipping on global emissions.
  2. The lack of regulation mentioned in the passage.

Analysis of Statements:

Statement I:

"Shipping accounts for only around 1.2% of global carbon emissions."

• Analysis: This directly weakens the argument by stating that shipping’s current contribution to carbon emissions is far smaller than implied in the passage. If shipping contributes only 1.2%, its relative impact is less significant.

Statement II:

"Demand for low-Sulphur fuel oil and marine diesel is expected to reduce in 2020."

• Analysis: This weakens the argument by suggesting that harmful emissions (sulfur emissions in particular) from shipping are already on the decline, contradicting the passage's focus on worsening emissions.

Statement III:

"As per rules brought in by the International Maritime Organization, ship owners have installed equipment to clean the dirty ballast water their ships suck in and discharge."

• Analysis: While this shows regulatory efforts to reduce environmental harm, the passage focuses specifically on carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen oxide emissions. Cleaning ballast water addresses a different environmental concern, so this statement does not weaken the argument about shipping emissions.

Correct Option:

The statements that weaken the argument are I and II, as they directly address the passage’s claims about emissions.
Statement III, while environmentally significant, does not address the argument about sulfur, nitrogen oxides, or carbon emissions.

Answer: C. Only I and II