From Steward to Saboteur: America’s Role in the Failure to Govern the Maritime Commons - CleanTechnica

The article discusses the recent failure of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to adopt a global carbon-pricing mechanism for the shipping industry, highlighting it as a contemporary example of Garrett Hardin’s “tragedy of the commons.” The ocean, serving as a shared resource and waste sink, suffers from overuse as nations prioritize short-term economic benefits from cheap fossil-fuel-driven trade while deferring the long-term environmental costs globally. The proposed carbon levy, part of the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework, aimed to price emissions and fund cleaner fuel infrastructure, but collapsed primarily due to heavy lobbying by the United States, which warned smaller countries of trade and diplomatic repercussions. Saudi Arabia and some allies supported the U.S. stance, framing the levy as a threat to competitiveness, resulting in a one-year postponement and a missed opportunity to align maritime shipping with global climate goals. The article further explores differing ideological interpretations of Hardin’s tragedy of the commons. Classical economists see the failure as a pricing problem solv