The United States has successfully thwarted a global charge on shipping emissions as an international maritime gathering concluded without enacting regulations. Major maritime nations had been discussing implementing rules to transition the shipping industry away from fossil fuels to reduce emissions. However, U.S. President Donald Trump, along with Saudi Arabia and other countries, opposed any global tax on shipping emissions.
The U.S. had warned of potential retaliation if countries supported the charge. President Trump encouraged nations to vote against it at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters in London, stating on his Truth Social platform that the United States would not tolerate a global tax on shipping.
The IMO is the United Nations agency overseeing international shipping. Saudi Arabia led a motion to adjourn the meeting for a year, which received majority support. The IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated that countries now have a year to continue working on various aspects of the proposed amendments and strive for consensus.
Ralph Regenvanu, the climate change minister of Vanuatu, expressed disappointment over the decision, emphasizing the urgency in addressing climate change. The delay in implementing green shipping regulations, which would have introduced a global fee on greenhouse gas emissions for the first time, has left the shipping industry in uncertainty. Despite this setback, there remains a strong commitment to cleaning up the sector, even in the face of opposition.
Shipping emissions have been on the rise over the past decade, contributing about three percent of the global total emissions due to increased trade and heavy fuel oil consumption by vessels. In April, IMO member states had agreed on a regulatory framework aimed at adopting the “Net-Zero Framework” during the London meeting. The postponement of the process risks undermining the ambitions of the framework and the progress it could have achieved towards global climate goals.
The proposed regulations included setting a marine fuel standard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions gradually and implementing a pricing system to levy fees on excess emissions above allowable limits, essentially establishing the first global tax on greenhouse gas emissions. The IMO has set a target for the shipping sector to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by around 2050 and promote the use of zero or low-emission fuels.
Advocates like Anaïs Rios, a shipping policy officer for Seas At Risk, are urging countries to regroup and return to the IMO with a stronger and unwavering yes vote to push forward sustainable measures promptly, emphasizing the urgency to act for the planet and the future of the shipping industry.
