U.S. and Iran Agree on One Thing: No Emission Cuts From Ships

• April 13 2018
• Jeremy Hodges

The U.S., Iran, and Russia were among a group of nine countries who objected to a deal to cut emissions from the global shipping industry by at least 50 percent by 2050.

The U.S., Iran, and Russia were among a group of nine countries who objected to a deal to cut emissions from the global shipping industry by at least 50 percent by 2050.

In the end, their objections at the International Maritime Organization’s week-long meeting in London led nowhere. An historic deal was approved today by the majority of the 173 nations who voted. The commitment is the first of its kind for the shipping world as it was excluded from the 2015 Paris agreement to curb global warming.

Read more about the agreement here

Saudi Arabia, Canada, Argentina, Russia, India, Brazil, and Philippines also objected. Although seen as the most efficient way to transport the world’s cargo, international shipping would be ranked as the sixth-largest greenhouse gas emitter worldwide if it were a country, between Japan and Germany.