In what amounts to an infamous first, the United Nations approved an International Maritime Organization global tax on so-called greenhouse emissions from shipping. Under the increasingly ridiculous guise of fighting climate change, the IMO will impose a minimum fee of $100 per metric ton of a ship’s emissions.

The new requirement will go into effect in 2028. Tellingly, the U.S. was not a party to the IMO agreement. The Trump administration has plainly rejected the climate agenda as, practically speaking, it exists as little other than an excuse to shake down first-world countries, primarily the U.S.

The Trump administration expressly noted that the U.S. would reject any attempt by the IMO to impose economic measures against America’s shipping. While U.S. ships would be subject to the IMO’s new emission rules, the Trump administration has threatened to raise reciprocal fees on everything charged to American shipping. In other words, more tariffs.

As noted above, the IMO’s new rule is little other than a money grab. It estimates that this new rule will garner upwards of $40 billion in revenue by 2030. Of course, the people with hands in our pockets claim this money will be used to help further the development of “greener” shipping technologies and support developing nations in furthering the green agenda. We’ll see.

Interestingly, the zero-carbon emissions goal for all global shipping by 2050 is still being given lip service by the IMO. Yet this latest regulation only sets a target of an 8% reduction in shipping carbon emissions by 2030, down significantly from the previous target of 20% to 30% by the end of the decade.

With the U.S. being the world’s largest importer and a significant exporter of goods, it’s clear that the U.S. will be the nation most negatively impacted by this ridiculous carbon tax. And yet, if it weren’t for the U.S. Navy effectively policing the world’s oceans, what would be the state of international shipping? It certainly would be a much more dangerous prospect.

This is why the UN’s push for an agenda that effectively penalizes the U.S. for failing to join its untenable climate agenda is downright insulting. The UN fails to recognize that America is already footing the bill to protect shipping worldwide — not to mention bankrolling the UN itself. This is akin to biting the hand that feeds you.

So, why is the U.S. still keeping the lights on at the United Nations? The UN has become little more than a thorn in America’s side, too often siding against our closest allies, such as Israel, while at the same time turning a blind eye to some of the world’s greatest human rights abusers, such as Iran and China.

It’s time for the U.S. to end this charade, as the UN almost solely pushes a globalist agenda. Maybe this latest action by the IMO will serve as the impetus for Donald Trump to go for just that. It will take an act of Congress to withdraw from the UN, but a number of Republican lawmakers are already proposing it, including Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), who back in February introduced the Disengaging Entirely From the United Nations Debacle Act of 2025.

“The United Nations has devolved into a platform for tyrants and a venue to attack America and her allies,” Lee contended. “We should stop paying for it. As President Trump revolutionizes our foreign policy by putting America first, we should withdraw from this sham organization and prioritize real alliances that keep our country safe and prosperous.”

Hear, hear!