Members of the Worldwide Maritime Group (IMO) have voted to postpone approving a plan to curb transport emissions, after United States President Donald Trump threatened to impose sanctions on nations that supported the measure.
The vote on Friday set again plans to control the transport trade’s contributions to local weather change by at the least 12 months, although the Internet Zero Framework (NZF) had already been permitted by members of the London-based IMO, a United Nations physique, in April.
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The choice to formally delay adopting the framework till late subsequent 12 months got here a day after President Trump took to his Fact Social platform, saying: “I’m outraged that the Worldwide Maritime Group is voting in London this week to go a worldwide Carbon Tax.”
“America will NOT stand for this World Inexperienced New Rip-off Tax on Transport,” he stated, telling nations to vote in opposition to the plan.
Washington additionally threatened to impose sanctions, visa restrictions and port levies on nations that supported the deal.
Upfront of this week’s assembly in London, about 63 IMO members who had voted for the plan in April have been anticipated to keep up their help for curbs on emissions, and others have been anticipated to affix the initiative to formally approve the framework.
Following Trump’s social media risk, delegates in London as an alternative voted on a swiftly organized decision to push again proceedings on the matter, which handed by 57 votes to 49.
The IMO, which includes 176 member nations, is chargeable for regulating the protection and safety of worldwide transport and stopping air pollution on the excessive seas.
Since returning to energy in January, Trump has centered on reversing Washington’s course on local weather change, encouraging fossil gas use by deregulation, chopping funding for clean energy projects and promising companies to “drill, baby drill”.
‘A missed alternative’
A spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres referred to as Friday’s choices “a missed alternative for member states to position the transport sector on a transparent, credible path in direction of internet zero emissions”.
The Worldwide Chamber of Transport, representing greater than 80 % of the world’s fleet, additionally expressed disappointment.
“Trade wants readability to have the ability to make the investments wanted to decarbonise the maritime sector,” the chamber’s Secretary-Normal Thomas Kazakos stated in an announcement.
Dissatisfied, however nonetheless very a lot Dedicated! https://t.co/7P192kAvCx
— Thomas A. Kazakos (@ThomasKazakos) October 17, 2025
Ralph Regenvanu, the minister for local weather change for Vanuatu, stated the choice to delay the vote by 12 months was “unacceptable given the urgency we face in gentle of accelerating local weather change”.
“However we all know that we now have international law on our aspect and can proceed to combat for our individuals and the planet,” Regenvanu added.
Main as much as Friday’s resolution, China, the European Union, Brazil, Britain and a number of other different members of the IMO had reaffirmed their help.
International locations that opposed the measures included Russia and Saudi Arabia.
A Russian delegate described the proceedings as “chaos” as he addressed the plenary on Friday after talks had lasted into the early hours.
Argentina and Singapore, two nations that had beforehand voted in help of the framework in April, have been amongst those who voted to postpone introducing it this week.
If it had been formally adopted this week, the Internet Zero Framework (NZF) would have been the primary world carbon-pricing system, charging ships a penalty of $380 per metric tonne on each further tonne of CO2-equivalent they emit whereas rewarding vessels that scale back their emissions through the use of alternate options.
The framework plan is meant to assist the IMO attain its goal of chopping internet emissions from worldwide transport by 20 % by 2030 and eliminating them by 2050.
Local weather change is already starting to have an effect on transport and the protection of seafarers, together with by altering ocean currents and inflicting extra frequent and severe storms.
Proposals to scale back reliance on dirtier bunker gas within the transport trade embody utilizing ammonia and methanol, in addition to becoming cargo ships with particular sails.
