The International Maritime organisation's greenhouse gas working group returned to London on 1 September 2026 to resume negotiations over the shape of the IMO's Net-Zero Framework, with deep divisions lingering over ambition, cost and the choice of fuel pathways. The 22nd Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, ISWG-GHG 22, sat from 1 to 4 September to consider competing proposals for the framework, according to a report in reports dated 4 September 2026.
Delegates convened in the English capital amid clear fault lines between member states and industry representatives about how fast to move and who should bear the financial burden. The meeting focused squarely on the future direction of the Net-Zero Framework, which participants have presented with differing degrees of urgency and ambition.
Negotiators spent the opening sessions revisiting the range of proposals on the table and clarifying procedural points, with discussions described as centred on ambition levels, the costs of transition and the practical pathways for alternative fuels. The working group structure was used to test areas of agreement and identify where compromise might be needed.
The logistics of deploying low- and zero-emission fuels featured repeatedly in debates as delegates sought to reconcile high-level objectives with practical considerations. Questions over fuel availability, infrastructure and timelines for adoption were raised as part of wider deliberations about which pathways the framework should endorse.
Several member states signalled concern about the potential economic impact of rapid regulatory change, while others pressed for stronger targets to align the sector with global decarbonisation goals. Cost allocation and support mechanisms were central to those exchanges, reflecting differing national circumstances and industry interests.
Negotiations reconvene in London
ISWG-GHG 22 met in London from 1 to 4 September 2026 specifically to advance work on the Net-Zero Framework. The sessions brought together delegates to discuss the text and proposals that will inform subsequent IMO decision-making, with the aim of narrowing differences before further committee consideration.
The reports summary noted that the working group reconvened for negotiations this week as part of that process, and that the discussions continued to expose policy divides rather than close them. The report underlined the persistent nature of the disagreements across several policy dimensions.
Policy fault lines remain
Ambition, costs and fuel pathways formed the central axes of disagreement at the meeting. Delegates debated how prescriptive the framework should be on timelines and technology choices, and whether it should favour particular fuel routes or remain technology neutral.
Participants used the sessions to map out where further technical work or clearer evidence might help reduce contention, while also highlighting political and economic constraints that will shape any eventual agreement. The working group approach is intended to produce compromise language that can be considered by the IMO's formal bodies.
As the London meeting closed on 4 September, it left unresolved the core tensions that have accompanied development of the Net-Zero Framework. The reports article published on 4 September 2026 recorded the state of play as negotiations resumed, with substantial policy differences still to be bridged.
Further intersessional meetings and committee deliberations are likely to follow as states and stakeholders seek a workable path through the disagreements identified at ISWG-GHG 22. The outcomes of this round of talks will feed into the wider international effort to define how the shipping sector moves towards net-zero emissions within the timeframes under consideration.