President Donald Trump scored a victory for consumers on Friday by effectively blocking a United Nations carbon tax scheme for at least a year. The battle isn’t over yet, as the Trump administration still needs to convince 40 other nations to abandon what would be the world’s first global carbon tax.
It comes from the International Maritime Organization, which was created by the U.N. in 1948 and is the implementing international agency for several international treaties, including the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, otherwise known as MARPOL. MARPOL was signed in 1973 after a number of oil tanker accidents, and in 1997, MARPOL Annex VI gave the International Maritime Organization jurisdiction over shipping air emissions as well.
In 2018, the International Maritime Organization adopted its initial greenhouse gas emissions strategy, a regulatory effort that eventually became a draft “Net-Zero Framework” that was set to be approved by International Maritime Organization voting members on Friday.
THE DAWN OF TRUMP’S NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE
If adopted, the Net-Zero Framework would charge vessels of more than 5,000 gross tons between $100-$380 for every ton of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, depending on how badly each vessel overshot an emissions target set by the International Maritime Organization. The stated goal is to end the use of oil in shipping, reducing the net emissions of the sector to zero by 2050.
Global shipping is responsible for just 2% of all greenhouse gas emissions each year, meaning that eliminating all its emissions would have virtually no impact on global climate or temperatures. But the impact of the first global carbon would be at least $10 billion a year. That is what proponents, not critics, say. U.N. bureaucrats would then waste the $10 billion on whatever corrupt kickbacks struck their fancy.
While the United States is both a member of the International Maritime Organization and signatory to MARPOL Annex VI, nothing in the Net-Zero Framework specifies what would happen to countries that ignore the agreement. Only about 1% of all cargo ships are owned by the U.S., and the flag state of each vessel, the nation where it is registered, would be authorized to collect the tax. The Net-Zero Framework also empowers inspectors to assess the carbon tax at any port a vessel stops at to offload or load cargo.
The Trump administration has always opposed any international environmental agreement that harms our national interests, and last week, Secs. Marco Rubio, Chris Wright, and Sean Duffy announced strict measures they would take against any country that voted to approve the International Maritime Organization Net-Zero Framework. These include visa restrictions, commercial penalties from contracts with the federal government, port fees, and increased tariffs.
A BAD DAY FOR RACIAL GERRYMANDERING AT THE SUPREME COURT
This worked, with Singapore and Saudi Arabia leading the effort to delay a final vote on the framework for at least a year. In total, 57 countries, including the U.S., voted in favor of delaying the measure, 49 voted against, and 21 abstained. The International Maritime Organization needs two-thirds of the votes to approve the framework before it can become legally binding.
Trump’s success at blocking the carbon tax is a victory for common sense and American sovereignty. For decades, global bureaucrats have used climate policy as a pretext to siphon billions of dollars from productive nations into corrupt international schemes that punish workers and consumers. By standing up to the International Maritime Organization’s climate crusade, Trump defended affordable energy, economic growth, and national independence. But this fight isn’t over. The same oligarchy that sought to tax global trade will be back next year. America must remain vigilant and continue leading the world away from destructive globalism and toward true energy freedom.