IMO talks leave climate vulnerable countries adrift

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed measures to cut international shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions, including a global pricing mechanism on emissions, marking an historic first.
However, the final regulations fall well short of the most ambitious options championed by climate vulnerable states.
Many climate vulnerable countries expressed extreme disappointment with the results, and the exclusion of their voices from the procedure, abstaining from the vote.

London, 11 April 2025: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) today agreed measures to cut the international shipping sector’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The final agreement puts a global price on the shipping industry’s GHG emissions. However, the measures fall way short of the most ambitious proposals championed by climate vulnerable countries, particularly Pacific Islands, Caribbean and African states. These were a high price flat-rate levy on all shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions, and a stringent fuel standard.

The regulations ultimately agreed upon, while a tentative first step towards meaningful action, will not provide the certain path to net zero that we needed to see. Instead they risk prolonging the use of fossil fuels and failing to accrue sufficient revenues to support developing and climate vulnerable countries make the transition in a just and equitable way.

Some climate vulnerable countries abstained from the final vote, demonstrating their disappointment with the results. Simon Kofe, Minister for Transport for Tuvalu, expressed concerns with the final measures and disappointment with the exclusion of Pacific Island voices from the procedure.

Emma Fenton, Senior Director of Climate Diplomacy at Opportunity Green, says:

“The IMO has made an historic decision, yet ultimately one that fails climate vulnerable countries and falls short of both the ambition the climate crisis demands and that member states committed to, just 2 years ago.
“The weak measure approved means aiming for a low bar and dragging our feet to get there. It will neither ensure sufficient emissions reductions, nor raise the revenues needed for a just and equitable transition. The IMO has turned down this historic opportunity to champion the perseverance, leadership, and ambition of climate vulnerable states, amongst them Pacific Islands, Caribbean and African states, who are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. That many of these countries abstained from the vote shows the measures are far from what was needed to address the crisis.”
“The only response now is to double down on our determination. States must work hard to remedy the situation we are left with today, both nationally and regionally. This is not the end, and we must look to the future to ensure ambition is raised and a just and equitable transition is guaranteed.”

Aoife O’Leary, Founder of the SASHA Coalition, concludes:

“The IMO has passed up on a unique opportunity to guarantee the shipping industry’s long-term resilience and help it fulfil its climate ambitions. The sector’s only credible path to net zero that doesn’t compromise biodiversity is green hydrogen e-fuels. IMO measures could have delivered the incentives needed to jumpstart the transition to these fuels, creating the enabling regulatory environment to derisk investment and unlock much-needed finances to scale production. Instead, delegates have agreed a measure that may lock in the use of environmentally destructive biofuels and LNG.”
“The baton now passes to the shipping industry itself to take ever bolder steps to raise the bar for climate action, and continue setting an example of strong leadership in spite of the IMO’s failures.”

The ambitious measures proposed by climate vulnerable countries would have:

Set the sector firmly on its way to meeting the 1.5ºC Paris temperature goal and the IMO’s own targets.
Accrued sufficient revenues to fund the maritime energy transition while ensuring a just and equitable transition with broader revenue disbursement purposes.
Helped channel much-needed finances to the alternative fuels and energy sources with lowest lifecycle emissions, including green hydrogen e-fuels.

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Notes to editors

Opportunity Green is an NGO working to unlock the opportunities from tackling climate change using law, economics, and policy. We do this by amplifying diverse voices, forging ambitious collaborations and using legal innovation to motivate decision makers and achieve climate justice, with particular emphasis on the aviation and shipping industries.

The SASHA Coalition brings together companies across the green shipping and aviation value chains to advocate for policy supporting the use of green hydrogen to decarbonise these sectors. The coalition is facilitated by Opportunity Green.

Since October 2022, Opportunity Green has been working bilaterally with a number of ambitious climate vulnerable IMO Member States – working collaboratively with their London Embassies and/or capitals, towards building their capacity to actively participate in these meetings, including ISWG-GHG 16. Our work with these countries includes inter alia, developing unbiased information briefings ahead of the IMO meetings, providing ad-hoc legal and policy advice, and facilitating networking opportunities.

Media contacts:

Daniel Lubin
Communications Assistant, Opportunity Green
+447477427606
daniel@opportunitygreen.org

Aoife O’Leary
CEO & Founder, Opportunity Green and the SASHA Coalition
+447526092615
aoife@opportunitygreen.org

Emma Fenton
Senior Director of Climate Diplomacy, Opportunity Green
+447402192063
emma@opportunitygreen.org

Additional information

IMO targets

In 2023 IMO member states agreed to a Strategy to reach:

Net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping by or around, i.e. close to 2050.

Net-zero GHG emissions for 2030 (by at least 20%, striving for 30%) and 2040 (by at least 70%, striving for 80%) compared to 2008.

Next stages at IMO

Measures were agreed this week at the 83rd Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 82), having been discussed in the preceding week at the 17th intersessional working group on greenhouse gas emissions (ISWG-GHG 17) meetings.

The regulations agreed at MEPC83 will be adopted in October 2025 at an Extraordinary MEPC, and enter into force in 2027.