USA threatened on Friday with sanctions and other punitive actions against countries that vote in favor of a carbon tax about him maritime transportwhich will be implemented through a UN agency.
“We will fight vigorously to protect our economic interests by imposing costs on countries that support” the Net-Zero Framework (NZF) agreement, the US secretaries of State, Energy and Transportation said in a joint statement.
Members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) based in London will vote next week on the adoption of said agreement that aims to reduce carbon emissions from the maritime sector.
Washington described the proposal as imposing “a global carbon tax on the world.”
Since returning to power in January, President Donald Trump has reversed Washington’s course on climate change, denouncing it as a “scam” and encouraging the use of fossil fuels through deregulation.
In the statement, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; Energy, Chris Wright, and Transportation, Sean Duffy, stated that the Trump administration “unequivocally rejects” the NZF proposal.
Among the punitive measures announced by Washington are visa restrictions, the blockade of ships from those countries in US ports, the imposition of trade sanctions and possible sanctions on state officials.
“The United States will take action to impose these sanctions on nations that support this European-led neocolonialist export of global climate regulations,” the statement said.
