Global Governance won big

April 12, 2025

In April 2025, a legally binding global climate agreement was passed. “Resistance is not failure—it’s evidence that you’re shifting the system”, stated Maja Groff, Executive Director of the CGC in the Forbes article, linked here.

“The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN body that regulates global shipping, approved new regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions across the maritime sector—one of the most polluting and least regulated industries on Earth. The deal mandates a trajectory to net-zero emissions by 2050, backed by financial penalties and a structured compliance framework.

This is not just another pledge. It’s a binding agreement with enforcement. Shipowners who fail to meet emissions reduction targets will pay up to $380 per tonne of CO₂ equivalent, feeding into a new Net-Zero Fund to support the transition and ensure climate justice within the sector.

It’s a milestone. But it’s also something more: a proof of concept for a world hungry for functioning international cooperation and governance.

The IMO's decision-making process avoids the paralyzing requirement for consensus that plagues climate COPs. When Saudi Arabia and a coalition of fossil fuel-aligned nations raised objections, they could not veto the outcome. Instead, the chair called for a vote—country by country, alphabetically.”