US sinks deal on decarbonizing ships, risking blow to Filipino seafarers

US sinks deal on decarbonizing ships, risking blow to Filipino seafarers
October 19, 2025 https://www.philstar.com/business/2025/10/19/2481003/us-sinks-deal-decar...

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines, home to the world’s largest seafaring workforce, could face repercussions after the United States sank a landmark global deal to cut carbon emissions from ships, delaying international climate action for another year.

The London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Friday, October 17 postponed a vote to formally approve the Net Zero Framework, a proposed carbon-pricing system for the shipping industry, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened sanctions against countries supporting the plan.

Approved by a narrow 57–49 vote, the postponement marks a victory for Washington, which withdrew from IMO negotiations in April and denounced the carbon tax proposal as a “scam.”

The Philippines, along with Caribbean nations reliant on cruise tourism, is seen as particularly vulnerable to any U.S. visa restrictions or port levies that could follow. Filipino seafarers make up a significant share of global maritime labor, and disruptions in shipping policies or sanctions could directly affect thousands of Filipino workers.

The Net Zero Framework sought to make ships progressively reduce carbon emissions from 2028 or face financial penalties. Funds raised from the system were intended to reward low-emission vessels and help climate-vulnerable nations adapt to rising seas and extreme weather, including archipelagos like the Philippines and Pacific Island states.

Carbon pricing divisions

Shipping accounts for nearly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the IMO, and the plan had broad support from climate-conscious members such as the European Union, China, Brazil, Britain and Pacific Island states.

But divisions deepened this week between oil producers and non-oil economies. Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates joined the U.S. in opposing the plan, arguing it would harm food security and economic growth. Argentina also shifted from abstention to opposition.

“I am outraged that the International Maritime Organization is voting in London this week to pass a global Carbon Tax,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, calling it a “Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping.”

'Chaos' in London. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, representing 176 member states, lamented the breakdown.

“It doesn’t help your organization, it doesn’t help yourself,” he told delegates after what one Russian representative described as “chaos” in the plenary session.

The April vote had been expected to cement the Net Zero Framework, but U.S. pressure upended expectations and exposed rifts between developed economies and fossil-fuel exporters.

If approved next year, the measure would make it harder for ships, including U.S.-flagged ones, to evade emissions inspections during foreign port calls, under existing IMO conventions that allow member states to detain non-compliant vessels.

For the Philippines and other climate-exposed maritime nations, the delay means another year of uncertainty and another missed chance to slow the industry’s contribution to global warming. — Based on a report by Agence France Presse