Climate groups urge IMO members to advance Net-Zero Framework after US election
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by Admin
Environmental organisations and academic experts on Wednesday (4 November) urged International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member States to proceed with the adoption of the IMO Net-Zero Framework, citing changing political dynamics following the latest US midterm elections.
Jamie Yates, Climate & Renewable Energy Manager at Pacific Environment, said the US voters are rejecting backward energy policies and called on IMO Member States to reject attempts to delay the framework.
“U.S. voters are rejecting backward energy policies that drove up household costs and undoubtedly accelerated the effects of climate disasters,” Yates said.
He added that the Trump administration had repeatedly sought to slow global shipping decarbonisation and urged IMO members to formally adopt the framework.
“The world has already lost a year in climate action from shipping; it cannot afford another,” he said.
Aoife O’Leary, CEO of Opportunity Green, said the political landscape at the IMO had shifted compared with October 2025, when the framework faced opposition from the US.
She pointed to the latest US election and Brazil’s renewed four-year mandate as factors that could influence international climate negotiations.
O’Leary described Brazil as a key architect of the framework and urged countries to use the changing political momentum to secure its adoption and support a transition away from fossil fuels.
Christiaan De Beukelaer of the University of Melbourne similarly said the US administration’s electoral setback could create room for other countries to advance the framework.
He identified China, Brazil and the European Union (EU) as key parties in the next stage of negotiations.
“The time for further preemptive compromises to appease Washington is gone, now countries can and must deliver decisive action to implement the IMO climate strategy they committed to,” he said.
The IMO Net-Zero Framework is intended to establish a global regulatory framework for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping, including through a global fuel standard and a pricing mechanism for GHG emissions.
Photo credit: International Maritime Organization
Published: 5 November, 2026
