The US has issued a stark warning ahead of the IMO’s upcoming vote on the proposed Net-Zero Framework (NZF), saying it will take retaliatory action against nations that support what it calls a “global carbon tax.”
In a joint statement released on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Energy Lisa Wright and Secretary of Transportation Michael Duffy said 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 and their customers.”
The officials warned that the NZF “could be disastrous,” citing estimates that global shipping costs could rise “as much as 10% or more.”
They described the framework as a “European-led neocolonial export of global climate regulations” and vowed to “fight hard to protect our economic interests.”
Possible US responses include “blocking vessels registered in those countries from US ports,” “imposing visa restrictions,” “adding port fees,” and “evaluating sanctions on officials sponsoring activist-driven climate policies.”
The warning follows earlier US statements rejecting any international climate measure that “unduly or unfairly burdens the United States.”
The NZF, backed by several European nations and other US allies like Japan, is expected to be a key point of debate when IMO members meet in London later this week.
