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Download briefingBackground
International shipping accounts for around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. The IMO’s Net-Zero Framework represents a landmark multilateral agreement to put the sector on a pathway towards net-zero emissions by 2050, while embedding the polluter pays principle through a global carbon pricing mechanism.
Following the adjournment of the Framework’s adoption in 2025, Member States are now negotiating its legal and technical foundations. ISWG-GHG 22 will be an important step towards determining whether the Framework delivers the emissions reductions, investment signals and financial support needed for an ambitious, just and equitable transition.
What’s covered in the briefing?
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The four proposed amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, assessing their implications for climate ambition, investment in genuinely sustainable fuels and a just and equitable transition.
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Key implementation guidelines, including the GHG fuel intensity mechanism, the Net-Zero Fund and ZNZ rewards, as well as the development of the IMO’s Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) Framework, including fuel certification and traceability, chain-of-custody models, default emissions factors, avoided emissions and land-use change.
Recommendations
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Maintain and strengthen the economic element of the Net-Zero Framework, ensuring that carbon pricing provides a strong and predictable incentive to reduce emissions and invest in genuinely zero- and near-zero emission fuels.
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Prioritise climate ambition and timely emissions reductions, avoiding proposals that risk prolonging reliance on LNG, fossil fuels and high-emitting biofuels.
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Establish a well-resourced and equitable Net-Zero Fund, with accessible finance for SIDS, LDCs and other climate vulnerable developing countries, including support for capacity building, infrastructure, resilience, food security and disproportionately negative impacts.
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Protect the environmental integrity of the LCA Framework, ensuring that fuel emissions are assessed across the full life cycle and that certification, verification and accounting rules do not create loopholes for high-emitting fuels.
