Statement from the Global Ethanol Association after IMO MEPC/ES.2 vote delay

The decision to defer final adoption of the draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI for a year, which would have established a global mechanism for pricing and regulating greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping, is a reminder that time is precious. We have only one planet, and every delay makes the challenge harder.

If the decarbonization of the shipping industry were a single voyage on calm waters, there would be no debate. But real progress is rarely smooth sailing.

The maritime energy transition isn’t a burden, it’s a growth engine. It will mobilize trillions in investment and generate millions of new jobs worldwide, powering innovation far beyond the docks. Decarbonization isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for the global economy.

We continue to expect the shipping industry to lead other hard-to-abate sectors by building a coordinated and binding decarbonization framework. But the path to net zero cannot stop at sector borders. Real progress depends on shared decarbonization, when industries collaborate, technologies align, and innovation multiplies its impact. Our planet moves forward when we unite, not when we compete.

Ethanol has, and will continue to have, an important role to play in this journey. We are pioneering ethanol onto the global stage of the maritime industry through our first flagship program, demonstrating it as a scalable, low-carbon solution that exists today and can be accelerated.

Let’s use this extra year not to delay progress, but to accelerate collaboration. The transition cannot wait.

— Global Ethanol Association