Essay by Eric Worrall
“… Funds must flow directly and predictably to developing nations …”
Mar 24, 2025
It’s time for shipping to launch first global tax on a polluting sector
Ambassador Ali Mohamed
Decarbonising the seas is a strategic imperative for a sustainable trade system that can also generate climate finance for vulnerable countries
Ambassador Ali Mohamed is Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change.
Kenya is a frontline casualty of the climate crisis. Escalating temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and prolonged droughts are slashing food production, depleting water resources, and destabilising our economy. Our coastal ecosystems, vital to the “blue economy”, are besieged by rising sea levels, coral bleaching, and accelerating erosion.
These are not abstract threats; they are dismantling the livelihoods of millions of Kenyans who depend on agriculture and marine resources. Yet Kenya’s plight is not self-inflicted. Industrialised nations, with their outsized historical emissions, bear primary responsibility for this crisis. Under the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, those who fuelled climate change must lead in funding solutions.
A proposed carbon levy on the shipping industry offers a transformative opportunity, one Kenya urgently supports, to deliver climate finance where it’s most needed while decarbonizing a critical global sector.
The shipping industry, a linchpin of global trade, stands poised to pioneer a new era of climate finance. At the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO), governments are nearing agreement on a carbon levy on shipping emissions, with a decision slated for April 2025 at the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 83 summit in London.
If enacted, this would be the first universal tax on an international polluting sector, a precedent-setting move. The World Bank estimates this levy could raise $60 billion annually, channeling vital funds into climate adaptation and mitigation for vulnerable nations like Kenya.
…
Equity is equally critical. Funds must flow directly and predictably to developing nations, bypassing the bureaucratic quagmires that have long throttled Global South access to climate finance. …
Read more: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/03/24/its-time-for-shipping-to-launch-first-global-tax-on-a-polluting-sector/
…
Obviously this particular demand is a case of bad timing. But Kenya or some other African or “global south” delegate repeats this demand pretty much every year. You never know, if nations like Kenya keep begging, sooner or later someone might cave in and give them money.
Not that Kenya needs money. According to CIA World Facebook Kenya had a GDP of $314 billion in 2023, comparable to the economy of Finland. They can afford their own climate action.
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Kenya is a frontline casualty of the climate crisis. Escalating temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and prolonged droughts are slashing food production, depleting water resources, and destabilising our economy. Our coastal ecosystems, vital to the “blue economy”, are besieged by rising sea levels, coral bleaching, and accelerating erosion. [Ali M.]
There is no “climate crisis” in Kenya nor anyplace else. It is natural for places to have weather events that are not near the “average” of that place’s climate. Anyone having taken a statistics course will have seen graphs of several types of distributions. Some measures of weather may follow a “normal” distribution or another well-known type. Weather variables with a “uniform” distribution are uncommon or, perhaps, unknown.
Kenya is a coastal country with access to sea water. They should desalinate ocean water thereby increasing the local fresh water supply AND serving to combat rising sea levels
Desalinating water from the sea will not have any impact on sea level. It eventually ends up in the air or back in the ocean. And why do we need to combat sea levels rising at 3mm/year?
Absolutely!!
You missed he joke.😘
I did, too subtle for me.
Try the Indian ocean dipol that’s what drives east African drought
Perhaps this “Shipping Tax” idea should be tried.
Every ship going into or coming out of Mombasa should bear a Tax…paid by Kenya for incoming and by anyone purchasing Outgoing Kenya Goods in other countries. Let’s see how well it works.
Ahha! A tariff!
Despite many decades of post-colonial self government, and rich in resources, not a single African country has lifted its population out of poverty and into prosperity. The leadership seem to prefer to steal the money from its citizens and engage in local wars.
Kenya would do better to concentrate on providing for its citizens through its riches by putting its hands into its own pockets.
I suspect this is what the calls for “climate finance” for the global south are all about, simply another pot of money to be plundered by corrupt politicians and bureaucrats with exactly zero effect on climate or the environment, either locally or globally.
That’s my way of thinking. If all Kenyans would move to the UK and all Britons would move to Kenya (without the progressive/corrupt politicians) how long would it take to have a prosperous nation?
So having a diverse population with more than 10 Ethnic groups doesn’t bring a stable economic and political system.
I think it all boils down to leadership.
We in the United States have recently had a good demonstration of the difference between bad leadership and good leadership. Good leadership makes all the difference in the world.
The US has almost 1500 race and ethnic groups according to the last census.
The difference is allegiance. If people’s first allegiance is to the country, it doesn’t matter how many ethnic groups there are.
If the people’s first allegiance is to their ethnic group, then having even two ethnic groups will cause problems.
Good way to put it.
NO! The west is not responsible for your gross corruption, your lack of concern for your citizens or your weather! Stop stealing from citizens to pile up riches for yourselves and start building a nation that benefits all your people……
Once rid of the British who were “taking all the wealth” the promised shower of wealth from the skies failed to materialise, so obviously it was the Asians – mostly Indian – who were taking all the wealth, so Kenyatta kicked them all out in the mid-60s and many came to UK and settled. Still no wealth raining down and things got worse. Now lack of prosperity is the climate’s fault.
Those Indians had been the backbone of the Kenyan economy, a professional, skilled, entrepreneurial class. Kenya’s loss, UK’s gain.
If you buy their natural resources, you are exploiting them and their labor. If corporations pay to go in and run the operations, they are colonizing them. If you fed them over forty years ago, today you are obligated to feed the resultant children and grand children. I am all for charities and helping those in need, but not for enabling people to fail. We need sunset laws on foreign aid, telling recipients the aid will be reduced each year and reach zero after ten.
If a group can’t get their act together for basic survival, we are only interfering with Darwinism and evolution by sustaining them. I know that sounds cold, but really, we shouldn’t feel obligated to support people engaged in constant violent conficts.
If only a son of a Kenyan prince would step up and, through his generational leadership qualities, help organize the great country of Kenya into utopia that it could be.
Would the leaders of Kenya recognize one of their own and embrace him as their savior, or would their grifter side also recognize one of their own and kick his ass out?
Might I suggest a correlation between poor African countries and this handy little chart?
“According to CIA World Facebook Kenya had a GDP of $314 billion in 2023, comparable to the economy of Finland.”
Well, yes. But Kenya has about 55 million people, Finland 5.5 million.
Well, they’ll just have to try harder and smarter, like the rest of the developed world had to do.
Or maybe they’re content to receive a participation certificate from the UN / WEF.
Australia has 26 and a bit Million people and a GDP of 1.7 Trillion your point Nick?
Eric said that Kenya has plenty of money because its GDP is equal to Finland’s. But it has ten times the population.
Are you saying Kenyans make 1/10 the effort ??
They have plenty of natural resources. Why have they not developed them.!
They have not developed them because a cabal of the UN, World Banka, WEF and many others have denied financing for any use of fossil fuels and threatedned any financial institution with reprisals if they provide financing. This was reported here on WUWT.
Not to mention carpetbaggers, such as Russia, pillaging the country.
So what you are talking about GDP per capita?
There is the list
https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-per-capita/
Pakistan is lower than Kenya and they have Nukes so I am struggling with what your point is?
From what I see those on the bottom have a common theme bad government, corruption and/or wars or a mixture of all 3.
The word was comparable, not equal to.
And Canada had a population of 38 million in 2023 and a GDP of 1.4 trillion, so what?
Eric said that Kenya is a wealthy country. It isn’t.
But it could be !
Yes it is. Kenya’s population is larger then Finland’s. That is their own choice. The countries are equally wealthy.
Average temperature in Kenya is higher than in Finland. Snowfall in Finland is substantially higher. Both have nothing to do with wealth or the volume of the population..
If you consider Finland a wealthy country, then Kenya is wealthy as well.
That’s 1/10th.
Those democrats that demanded a 3/5ths definition really shafted themselves.
Good grifting requires more subtlety than this.
It’s the Climate Cargo Cult. Stomp your feet and wave your spears and maybe the big silver bird will land on your island.
They should hire Al Gore to shrill for them, assuming they can afford him.
What would happen if Kenya went on its own and taxed every ship in its ports.
I guess every ship would have to charge more for every pick-up and delivery.
In this case, I guess Trump would put a reciprocal tax on Kenyan ships in American ports. 🙂
Kenya will f*ck off. The Infinite Gravy Train with Biscuit Wheels has screeched to a halt.
This person does not realize the Obama and Biden terms are finished.
He can certainly apply to Gates for funding, though.
Starmer and Lammy will probably conjure up a few billion for them.
The data contradicts this. It is entirely self-inflicted. In 1980, Kenya had a population of 16M. Today it is 55M. Same land supporting 3 times more people.
Kenya has been a patriarchal society with low priority placed on educating women. That is now changing and the fertility rate is declining but at 3.1, it is still well above replacement. The simple, enduring solution to their ills is to place even greater priority on educating young females.
And developing further the resources and energy.
That’s how certain religions take over a place. Just have more babies than the other groups. Doesn’t matter if you live in poverty or women can’t study or even drive a car.
Of course you can also send your surplus population to Europe.
There is absolutely ZERO need to decarbonise anything.
This joke can get his grubby little grifter can keeps his hands to himself.
Kenya is a former British colony, so I know they will understand “f**k off”.
He forgot to mention too many people, too much corruption and it is better than many other African nations. Until they get their own house in order, they can just go away.
People are the ultimate resource, they are not a drain.
Based on my personal observations, Kenyans (especially the sons of princes) are a disproportionate drain … even a siphon.
But in a family with little resources and 10 mouth to feed they are a drain until you can ship them to Europe.
In the old days maybe when most would not reach adulthood but these days with modern western healthcare most will live. We have seen the same in Europe in the beginning of the 20th century.
“Not that Kenya needs money. According to CIA World Facebook Kenya had a GDP of $314 billion in 2023, comparable to the economy of Finland.”
I beg to differ … (this is from your data links) …
Real GDP per capita Kenya
$5,700 (2023 est.)
$5,500 (2022 est.)
$5,300 (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita Finland
$57,100 (2023 est.)
$58,000 (2022 est.)
$57,400 (2021 est.)
showing that the Finns are 10x wealthier than Kenyans
Per capita. National GDPs are $314 and $295 billion.
Populations
Kenya: 58,246,378
Finland: 5,626,414
There are approx 10x more Kenyans than Finn;
so the Finns are 10x wealthier than Kenyans.
These grifters are simply looking for another trough into which they can stick their snouts.
Kenya, like most African nations, has been manipulated by climate loons in the US and other Western bureaucracies – they should be compensated for being forced to waste their time. However, they should not be rewarded for spewing Western bullsh!t back to the new imperial masters.
They need to spew their new imperial masters. Period.
Send us your dosh. And quick.
“Climate Envoy” translates to the original Swahili as Mdanganyifu—Fraudster in English.
Kenya became independent in 1963. In 1963 South Korea was a bit of a backwater, ravaged by war twice in quite recent living memory and largely reliant on agriculture. Compare and contrast what’s happened to these two countries since. Perhaps Mr Mohamed should pay a visit to pick up a few tips. I’m sure there’s a suitably swanky hotel in Seoul to accommodate him during his stay
CHOGM – Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, a regular meeting of Countries of former British Empire & Commonwealth.
Margaret Thatcher’s take: Coming Hands Outstretched Grabbing Money.
CO2 is not pollution.
To Ambassador Ali Mohamed:
It may take a couple of years or more, but we’ll get back to you on your “demand”. Right now, the USA is working on more substantial matters.
BTW, in the interim, can you provide any evidence that your claimed “principle of common but differentiated responsibilities” is recognized by any human with an IQ above room temperature?
Once again we see a developing nation looking for a way to pick the rest of world’s pockets to finance what they describe as climate action. Except the spotty record of foreign aid by the Third World dictates that it should get nothing since there’s a good chance the money will get diverted to the politicians and bureaucrats running those nations, while the climate and weather won’t be affected at all.