Ritika Pratap 
Source: Fiji Government / Facebook
Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau says that the outcomes of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, align with ongoing negotiations at the International Maritime Organization.
Ro Filipe says COP30 reaffirmed that reaching the 1.5°C temperature goal requires urgent mitigation efforts in maritime transport – a sector critical to Fiji’s trade, connectivity, and inter-island mobility.
He adds that the IMO meeting in London last month was crucial for advancing the global agenda for decarbonizing international shipping.
The IMO’s proposed Net Zero Framework was agreed in principle.
Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau [file photo]
It outlines a global approach to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by or around 2050.The Framework introduces mechanisms that include a global fuel standard to progressively limit the carbon intensity of marine fuels and global emissions pricing, where ships pay levies based on carbon intensity.
“Ships using high carbon fuels should pay US$380 per tonne of CO2 equivalent emissions, while lower carbon exceedances are checked at US$100 per tonne. Ships operating on zero and near-zero NZF fuels would be eligible for rewards through the IMO Net Zero Fund.”
Ro Filipe stated that Fiji, along with the Pacific and the wider Six-Pack Coalition, strongly supported the adoption of the NZF.
However, despite this strong advocacy, the NZF was not adopted.
The decision on the proposed Framework has been deferred by one year (57 votes to 49), reflecting deep divisions over whether it should proceed via the IMO’s long-standing acceptance procedure or require explicit acceptance due to its technical scale and redistributive nature.
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