Countries vote to delay carbon-free shipping plan under US pressure

In a major setback to global climate action, member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) — including India — have agreed to postpone a key vote on implementing a strategy to transition the shipping industry toward carbon neutrality by 2050. The delay came after strong pressure from the United States, which has opposed the proposed framework for new fuel standards and carbon pricing.

The IMO’s sub-committee had earlier, in April, endorsed a plan to introduce a global fuel standard for ships and establish a carbon pricing mechanism beginning in 2027. The proposal, supported by 63 countries — including the EU, Brazil, China, India, Canada, the U.K., South Korea, and Japan — was slated for formal adoption this October. Sixteen countries, led by the United States, had voted against it.

However, tensions escalated ahead of the October 17 meeting in London. U.S. President Donald Trump openly condemned the plan on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling it a “Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping.” He warned that the U.S. would “not adhere to it in any way” and urged other nations to vote against what he described as a “tax on American consumers.”

As discussions began on October 14, negotiations quickly grew contentious. Singapore proposed deferring the decision by a year, a move that Saudi Arabia pushed to a formal vote. In the final tally, 57 countries supported the delay, 49 opposed it, and 21 abstained. It remains unclear how India voted.

Climate-vulnerable nations voiced strong disappointment over the outcome. “We regret that IMO members accepted Singapore’s proposal to delay adoption of the framework by 12 months,” said Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change of Vanuatu. “This decision represents a failure by the IMO to act decisively on the climate crisis. The delay makes our path to Bélem and beyond much harder, but we will continue to fight for our people and our planet.”