The Trump administration has pulled out of shipping decarbonization talks at the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting this week
U.S. officials have taken a hard line, threatening retaliation if U.S. ships are charged based on their greenhouse gas emissions or fuel choices
The focus of the discussions is the IMO GHG 2023 strategy, which sets out a set of “medium-term measures” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. These measures include:
• Technical element: a standard for marine fuels that would gradually reduce the carbon intensity of marine fuels;
• Economic element: a pricing mechanism for greenhouse gas emissions in the maritime sector
The committee plans to finalize a draft legal framework, dubbed the “IMO Net-Zero Framework,” this week. The document is expected to be submitted for consideration and possible adoption during the extraordinary session of MEPC in October 2025
The American side stated that such measures could be perceived as an attempt to redistribute global wealth under the guise of environmental initiatives.
