London, 17 October (Argus) — Member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) today failed to adopt a global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions pricing mechanism for international shipping.
Delegates voted to adjourn this week’s extraordinary Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) session by one year, delaying an adoption vote for the net-zero framework (NZF) that includes the GHG mechanism.
The motion to adjourn was proposed by the Saudi Arabian delegation after multiple breaks and delays during the week. The motion was supported by 57 countries, including the US and some member states that voted in favour of the NZF structure in April. Votes against came from 49 member states including Brazil and Denmark, while 21 abstained including Greece, Cyprus, and Japan.
Some delegates told Argus the vote in favour of adjournment was reflective of a vote against adoption, pointing to the unlikelihood of achieving further consensus within the year. Others described the outcome as a state of “limbo”, which leaves room for further possible delays, and that the adjournment was more attributed to “outside pressures” than concerns about the NZF text.
Some delegates maintained a more optimistic view, saying momentum for a global GHG pricing mechanism remains and an agreement will be reached — albeit with potential modifications.
The outcome followed a week of tense negotiations including multiple procedural objections that was described by the IMO secretary general Arsenio Dominguez as “not the normal”. He urged member states to not “repeat the way we have approached this meeting in other discussions”.
The Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships is still scheduled to meet next week to discuss and continue work on the guidelines for implementing the NZF.
By Hussein Al-Khalisy and Gabriel Tassi Lara
