President Trump announced that the United States will oppose a proposed global carbon tax on shipping, which the International Maritime Organization is set to vote on Friday.
“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. “The United States will NOT stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping, and will not adhere to it in any way, shape, or form. We will not tolerate increased prices on American Consumers OR, the creation of a Green New Scam Bureaucracy to spend YOUR money on their Green dreams. Stand with the United States, and vote NO in London tomorrow!”
Countries are close to approving global rules to cut shipping emissions, but the Trump administration is pushing back. According to multiple reports, the Trump administration has warned nations backing the measure that they could face tariffs, trade barriers, visa restrictions, and other retaliatory actions.
The International Maritime Organization is expected to adopt a proposal creating a carbon tax on shipping, first endorsed in April. Trump officials have denounced it as a “European-led neocolonial export of climate regulations” and are pressuring nations to reject it.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the U.S. would be a “hard NO” on the IMO climate measures, urging other nations to join in. Citing a Wall Street Journal op-ed, he called the plan an effort by “climate-obsessed politicians to entrench their agenda.” With the proposal still likely to pass, the U.S. is pushing a last-minute rule change that would require countries to reaffirm support in the coming months before it becomes final.
“We are actively engaging with countries on the extremely flawed proposal, as well as exploring and preparing to act on remedies including tariffs, visa restrictions, and/or port levies,” a State Department spokesperson said in an email to POLITICO’s E&E News ahead of the meeting. “We will also be engaging our like-minded partners and allies to propose they take similar measures.”
