On Friday, the US threatened to impose sanctions and other punitive measures against any country that votes for the introduction of a carbon tax on maritime transport, which is planned to be implemented through a UN agency, LETA reported citing AFP.
"We will firmly defend our economic interests by imposing costs on countries that support the Net Zero Framework," said a joint statement from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Secretaries of Energy and Transportation.
Members of the London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO) will vote next week on adopting the Net Zero Framework (NZF), which aims to reduce global carbon emissions in the shipping industry.
However, Washington characterized this proposal as "imposing a global carbon tax on the world."
Since Donald Trump returned to power in January, the US has radically changed its stance on climate change, calling it a "hoax" and actively encouraging fossil fuel use by rolling back regulations.
Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that the Trump administration categorically rejects the NZF.
They threatened a range of punitive measures against countries that vote for this initiative, including visa issuance restrictions, blocking entry to US ports for vessels registered in those countries, imposing commercial sanctions, and considering individual sanctions against officials.
"The United States will take action to apply these legal protections against countries supporting the Europe-imposed global climate neocolonial dictate," the statement said.
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