Senior Trump administration officials are warning countries to withdraw their support for a global agreement to charge fees for shipping emissions, or face retaliation ahead of the measure’s likely adoption in October.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and three other members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet said in a statement this week that countries should be “on notice” that the administration expects their help in defeating the agreement brokered by the United Nations International Maritime Organization. They added that the U.S. will “not hesitate to retaliate” if the measure is adopted.
“Whatever its stated goals, the proposed framework is effectively a global carbon tax on Americans levied by an unaccountable UN organization,” said the statement by Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The agreement, known as the IMO’s Net-zero Framework, aims to cut planet-warming pollution through a levy on shipping emissions and a new fuel standard. Countries agreed to the accord in April, and a final decision is scheduled for this fall.
