UN Maritime body to decide on emission cuts, Trump asks countries to vote against "first global carbon tax"

Washington DC [US], October 17 : US President Donald Trump has urged member countries to vote against a proposal to impose what it calls the world's "first global carbon tax," aimed at curbing shipping pollution by moving them away from fossil fuels to greener energy options.

"The United States will NOT stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The US President's remarks come ahead of a vote by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London on adopting a Net-Zero Framework (NZF) -a policy that would impose a global tax on shipping emissions to reduce carbon output.

The IMO is the United Nations specialised agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. IMO's work supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

"I am outraged that the International Maritime Organization is voting in London this week to pass a global Carbon Tax. The United States will NOT stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping, and will not adhere to it in any way, shape, or form. We will not tolerate increased prices on American Consumers OR, the creation of a Green New Scam Bureaucracy to spend YOUR money on their Green dreams. Stand with the United States, and vote NO in London tomorrow! " Trump posted on Truth Social.

Shipping accounts for nearly three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the IMO.

India is among the 63 countries that in April this year agreed to the draft of the proposal, which, if adopted, will enter into effect from 2028. It aims for net-zero emissions by 2050 through a global fuel standard and a pricing mechanism.

On October 16, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the US would be a "hard NO" on the IMO measures and called on other nations to stand alongside the United States.

Rubio linked his post to a Wall Street Journal article that said the plan is an attempt by "climate-obsessed politicians to entrench their agenda before voters in democracies can kill it."

In a statement issued last week, Rubio along with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the proposal would be "disastrous" for industry and raise the price of goods for consumers. They warned countries who vote for it with possible sanctions such as "commercial penalties," additional port fees and potential visa restrictions among other measures..

"The NZF proposal poses significant risks to the global economy and subjects not just Americans, but all IMO member states to an unsanctioned global tax regime that levies punitive and regressive financial penalties, which could be avoided," the statement read.

In order to be adopted, the framework needs the backing of two-thirds of 108 voting IMO members who belong to a long-standing international convention for the prevention of pollution from ships, known as MARPOL.

Trump has often criticised climate policies including those advocating green energy like wind and solar energy. In his remarks at the UN General Assembly, the US President had described climate change as the "greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world" and dismissed global efforts to tackle it as misguided.

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