'We won't allow...': How US forced UN shipping body to postpone emissions tax decision

The United Nations' shipping regulatory body recently agreed to postpone the adoption of its landmark 'Net-Zero Framework' by one year, which includes a global tax on carbon emissions from ships.

The decision was made on Friday, during an extraordinary meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC)—a part of the UN's London-based International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

After repeated disagreements over a few days, Saudi Arabia on Friday tabled a proposal to delay the emissions tax, which was supported by countries like the US and Singapore. It was passed by a simple 57-49 majority, with 21 nations abstaining from the vote.

The adjournment of the meeting till October 2026 is seen as a setback in various countries' and environmental organisations' battle against climate change, ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil next month.

The measure would impose a tax per metric tonne of carbon dioxide that ships emit, when it crosses certain limits: about $100-$380 per metric tonne, depending on various factors. 

Fearing that it would lead to a huge amount annually, the Trump administration strongly opposed the emissions tax, with the US president calling it a "Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping", and adding that the US "will NOT adhere to it in any way, shape, or form".

"We will not allow the UN to tax American citizens and companies," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X. "Under the leadership of @POTUS, the U.S. will be a hard NO," he added, as Washington exerted diplomatic and economic force (by means of tariff threats) on other nations to influence the result.

The European Union, as well as countries like Brazil, India, China, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom had supported the framework, which aimed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to zero, by 2050.

"It’s disgraceful that climate action has been delayed when we see the devastating impacts every day ... The agreement would have slashed carbon emissions and saved lives,” Delaine McCullough, Ocean Conservancy’s shipping programme director, said in a statement.

In the meantime, IMO Member States will continue to work towards consensus on the Net Zero Framework, the UN body has said.

"The Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, scheduled to meet 20 to 24 October 2025, will go ahead to continue work on the guidelines for implementing the Net Zero Framework," it added.  

Maritime