The United Nations Is About to Tax You
16th October 2025
Voters are showing their opposition to the net-zero climate agenda whenever they get the chance. But that isn’t stopping the United Nations, which this week is poised to impose what amounts to a global tax on carbon emissions. Yes, this is the definition of taxation without representation.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a U.N. body based in London, hopes at its meeting this week to secure final approval for its “net-zero framework” for shipping. The measure would impose charges per metric ton of carbon-dioxide that ships emit above certain limits; the tax would be $100 or $380 per metric ton depending on various factors. That could translate to an annual tax take of $10 billion-$12 billion.
If you’ve heard about this at all, it’s probably because the Trump Administration last week threatened to slap sanctions on any country that votes in favor of imposing this tax. Washington rightly worries it will increase the costs of goods American households buy by increasing global shipping costs as much as 10%. Setting aside the trade-policy irony, at least someone in the Trump Administration is worried that expensive imports might be bad for the American economy.
The damage from this U.N. climate tax is as much political as economic. The U.N. has previously toyed with emissions-monitoring schemes, such as for aviation, and the IMO claims this proposal is no different. But this is the first instance we can find of the U.N. claiming the ability to levy a tax—the revenues from which will be paid directly into a U.N.-controlled fund.