Claim: Australia is Opposing an International Shipping Carbon Tax Proposal

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From Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

The Sydney Morning Herald has accused Australia of siding with Russia, China, Brazil and Saudi Arabia to sink a Pacific Islands proposal for a $100 / ton of carbon levy on marine shipping emissions.

Australia sides with China, Russia in bid to sink Pacific nations’ climate plan

By Nick O’Malley
July 3, 2023 — 5.00am

London: Australia has been criticised for siding with China and Russia to oppose a popular plan from a group of Pacific Island nations to tackle carbon emissions from the shipping industry.

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An ambitious proposal conceived and championed by Pacific Island nations including Solomon Islands and Marshall Islands — which has one of the world’s largest shipping fleets registered to its flag — would introduce a $100 per tonne levy on maritime emissions in order to make cleaner fuels cost-competitive with the dirtier heavy fuel oil that is the industry standard.

But The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald spoke to three sources present in closed preliminary discussions who said opposition to the proposal has hardened among a group of about 20 nations including China, Russia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Australia. This masthead has seen documentation that confirms their accounts.

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Though Australia has voiced support for aligning the industry with Paris Agreement climate targets of holding warming to 1.5 degrees, the sources said it remained opposed to the shipping levy as proposed by the Pacific nations. Alternative proposals could also be debated and it is not clear which, if any, Australia might support.

…Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/australia-sides-with-china-russia-in-bid-to-sink-pacific-nations-climate-plan-20230630-p5dky1.html

What a surprise, nations which depend on long distance international shipping have opposed a measure which would shut down international shipping.

All this would be a non-issue if greens relaxed their opposition to nuclear energy. If shipping companies were allowed to install nuclear power plants on cargo ships, there would be no maritime emissions to tax.