The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is meeting this week to continue negotiations on key policy details in the Net-Zero Framework (NZF), despite the decision last week to delay the adoption till 2026.
The NZF is a critical policy tool based on carbon pricing that the IMO needs in order to get the industry closer towards its 2023 Revised Strategy goals.
While the NZF adoption is postponed, countries are expected to make important clarifications on the Framework’s architecture and implementation that are still missing, including which clean energy options will be incentivised and how the NZF revenues (worth up to $15bn/year from 2030) will be spent. The Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG), scheduled to meet 20 to 24 October 2025, will go ahead to continue work on the guidelines for implementing the Net Zero Framework.
A big focus this week will be on the role of biofuels in shipping’s clean transition, with experts repeatedly warning about the environmental and climate risks of shipping’s expansion into high-risk biofuels. They call for real clean energy incentives in the Framework, like renewably produced e-fuels and wind propulsion.
Delegates will also negotiate on the future of the carbon pricing revenues, with high-ambition Pacific Island states and NGO observers calling for guarantees for revenue distribution towards just and equitable transition.
Dr. Alison Shaw, IMO Policy Manager at T&E commented that adoption of the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework has been delayed by a year, but the Framework’s success was always dependent on the development of strong and coherent implementation guidelines.
"This work can continue regardless of the delay. Member States now have the opportunity to add key incentives for green e-fuels and establish safeguards against unsustainable first-generation biofuels, thereby strengthening the framework. Adoption has been paused but progress shouldn’t be. "Shaw highlighted.
Furthermore, Emma Fenton, Senior Diplomacy Director at Opportunity Green, noted that the adoption of the IMOs Net-Zero Framework may have been delayed for a year, but there is still the opportunity to push for as much ambition as possible in the meantime.
The only way to achieve a just maritime transition is through the equitable distribution of revenue that is raised multilaterally and the discussions this week will be central in establishing how that can happen, Fenton explained.
"Our best chance to fight back is by strengthening the alliance of climate ambitious countries, citizens, and companies in defiance of petro-states including the USA over the next year. The NZF is still on the table and simply needs to be adopted. The IMO must not waste precious time this week and instead make progress on ensuring an equitable revenue distribution of IMO funds."said Christiaan de Beukelaer, Senior Lecturer in Culture and Climate, University of Melbourne.
Anaïs Rios, Shipping Policy Officer, Seas At Risk also highlighted that the Net-Zero Framework could give shipping a fighting chance to meet its climate goals, even if it is far from perfect, but countries must stop dragging their anchors.
"With adoption now delayed, this week at the IMO is about creating the regulatory architecture of the framework and finding clear incentives to scale up wind propulsion, a proven solution to reduce emissions today. After all, wind technology is available, it’s fair and it works: it is a proven, equitable solution in the race to decarbonisation. "said Rios.
