/Reuters Agency
The United States threatened to apply visa restrictions and sanctions as retaliation against the nations that vote in favor of a plan proposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from maritime transport.
United Nations (UN) member countries are scheduled to vote between October 14 and 17 on the IMO’s Net-Zero Emissions Framework proposal. It aims to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide generated by the international shipping sector, which handles about 80% of world trade and accounts for about 3% of global GHG emissions.
Major container carriers, pressured by investors to combat climate change, agree that a global regulatory framework is essential to accelerate decarbonization. However, some of the world’s largest oil tanker companies expressed “serious concerns” about the proposal.
“The Administration unequivocally rejects this proposal before the IMO and will not tolerate any action that increases costs for our citizens, energy providers, shipping companies, their customers, or tourists,” said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright; and Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy in a joint statement.
“The proposal represents significant risks to the global economy and subjects not only Americans, but all IMO member states to an unauthorized global tax regime that imposes punitive and regressive financial sanctions,” they stated.
Proponents of the IMO proposal have warned that without global regulation, the maritime industry would face a patchwork of regulations and rising costs without effectively reducing GHG emissions that contribute to global warming.
U.S. officials indicated in the statement that the United States is considering retaliating against UN member countries that support the plan, a threat they have also made previously.
That includes, potentially, blocking access to U.S. ports for vessels registered in those countries, imposing visa restrictions and fees, and applying sanctions on officials who “promote activist-driven climate policies,” as highlighted in the North American nation’s document.
