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Read the response in fullBackground
Opportunity Green welcomes the UK Government’s proposal to expand the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) to cover 50% of emissions from international maritime voyages by 2028 at the latest.
This is an important step towards delivering the UK’s net-zero targets and demonstrates policy coherence between domestic action and international commitments and legal obligations on climate change.
By pricing 50% of emissions from international voyages under the UK ETS, the UK will not only support wider efforts to limit warming but can also help drive global shifts toward zero- near-zero fuels and strengthen the UK’s leadership in maritime decarbonisation.
What’s in the response?
We emphasise that regional and global measures should work together. The UK ETS and the International Maritime Organization’s Net Zero Framework can function as complementary tools to maximise emissions reductions while minimising barriers to participation in international trade. They should therefore be understood as mutually reinforcing rather than competing mechanisms.
Our recommendations
We encourage the UK government to allocate a meaningful proportion of UK ETS maritime revenues to support decarbonisation in developing countries.
It should also:
- Commit to ongoing monitoring of distributional impacts across vulnerable trading routes.
- Ensure that UK ETS actively supports equity, resilience, and inclusive participation in the global maritime transition.
