US blocks a global fee on shipping emissions as international meeting ends without new regulations

The US has succeeded in blocking a global fee on shipping emissions as an international maritime meeting adjourned Friday without adopting regulations.

The world's largest maritime nations had been deliberating on regulations to move the shipping industry away from fossil fuels. But US President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia and other countries vowed to fight any global tax on shipping emissions.

On Thursday, Trump urged countries to vote "No" on the regulations. The International Maritime Organization adjourned its meeting Friday.

The top shipping nations from across the world met at the International Maritime Organization headquarters in London. If the green shipping regulations had been adopted, it would have been the first time a global fee is imposed on planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Most ships today run on heavy fuel oil that releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants as it's burned.

Shipping emissions have grown over the past decade to about 3% of the global total as trade has grown and vessels use immense amounts of fossil fuels to transport cargo over long distances. In April, IMO member states agreed on the contents of the regulatory framework, with the aim of adopting the "Net-Zero Framework" at this London meeting.

"The attempts from the US and others to delay the adoption of the IMO's Net-Zero Framework are an affront to multilateralism and fly in the face of the the courage and ambition shown by member states when it was agreed in April. Thankfully this is not a foregone conclusion and countries can continue to demonstrate the spirit of solidarity that they showed in April when voting to adopt the framework," said Emma Fenton, senior director for climate diplomacy at a UK-based climate change nonprofit, Opportunity Green.

The regulations set a marine fuel standard that decreases, over time, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions allowed from using shipping fuels. The regulations also establish a pricing system that would impose fees for every ton of greenhouse gases emitted by ships above allowable limits, in what is effectively the first global tax on greenhouse gas emissions.

The IMO, which regulates international shipping, set a target for the sector to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by about 2050, and has committed to ensuring that fuels with zero or near-zero emissions are used more widely.

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