International deal to cut shipping emissions fails due to US pressure
The United States has succeeded in blocking a global tariff on shipping emissions as an international maritime meeting adjourned on Friday without adopting rules.
The world’s largest maritime nations were discussing adopting rules to force the shipping industry to reduce emissions from fossil fuels. But US President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia and other countries vowed to fight any global tax on shipping emissions.
America had threatened to retaliate if nations supported it. Trump urged countries to vote “no” at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters in London, posting on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday that “the United States will not stand for this global green new scam tax on shipping.”
IMO is the United Nations agency that regulates international shipping.
Saudi Arabia called for a vote to postpone the meeting for a year. More than half the countries agreed.
“Now that you have a year, you will continue to work on many aspects of these amendments,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Domínguez said in his concluding remarks. “You have a year to negotiate and negotiate and reach a consensus.”
Some companies have found a unique way to reduce their carbon footprint by importing products using sailing cargo ships, one of which recently stopped in Quebec City.
What does this mean for climate change
“This decision is unacceptable given the urgency we face in light of accelerating climate change,” said Ralph Regenvanu, climate change minister for the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.
If green shipping rules were adopted, it would be the first time a global charge on planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions was imposed. Most ships today run on heavy fuel oil which releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants when burned.
“The delays have thrown the shipping sector into uncertainty. But this week has also shown that there is a clear desire to clean up the shipping industry, despite US bullying,” said Alison Shaw, IMO manager of Transport and Environment, a Brussels-based environmental NGO.
Shipping emissions have increased to about three percent of the global total over the past decade as trade has grown and ships use huge amounts of fossil fuels to transport goods over long distances.
In April, IMO member countries Content of regulatory framework agreedThis week’s London meeting aims to adopt a “net-zero framework”.
Emma Fenton, senior director of climate diplomacy at Opportunity Green, a UK-based climate change nonprofit, said the adoption of the rules was meant to demonstrate how multilateral cooperation can deliver real progress on global climate goals. He said delaying the process risks undermining the framework’s ambitions.
Shipping is the foundation of the global economy, but for years it flew under the radar due to its huge carbon footprint – but not anymore. CBC’s Chris Brown travels to Denmark to learn more about efforts to move the industry toward a sustainable future.
What would the rules have done?
The rules would establish a marine fuel standard that, over time, would reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions allowed from the use of shipping fuel. The rules would also establish a pricing system that would impose a fee for each tonne of greenhouse gases emitted by ships above allowable limits, effectively the first global tax on greenhouse gas emissions.
IMO, which regulates international shipping, Set a target for the region to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by around 2050 And it is committed to ensuring that fuels with zero or near-zero emissions are more widely used.
“What matters now is that countries stand up and come back to IMO with a louder and more confident yes vote that cannot be silenced,” said Anais Rios, shipping policy officer at Seas at Risk. “The planet and the future of shipping have no time to waste.”
