This report provides a comprehensive synthesis of deliberations at the 21st session of the IMO Intersessional Working Group on Greenhouse Gases (ISWG-GHG 21), held in April 2026. It examines the evolving architecture of the IMO Net-Zero Framework, focusing on three interlinked domains: the technical foundations of the Global Fuel Standard and lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodology; the institutional and financial design of key mechanisms, including certification systems, registries, and the Net-Zero Fund; and the growing prominence of sustainability and equity considerations.
The analysis highlights areas of emerging consensus, such as onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS), verification frameworks, and elements of zero- and near-zero emission technologies, alongside persistent divisions on issues including methane slip, indirect land-use change, energy multipliers, and the scope of social and economic sustainability. It also maps the coalition dynamics shaping negotiations, identifying a consistent bloc resisting expansion of the framework’s scope and an increasingly coordinated equity-focused position led by African and developing states.
By structuring the discussions thematically rather than chronologically, the report offers policymakers, negotiators, and researchers a clear view of the state of play across key issues and identifies the major items carried forward to MEPC 84. It underscores a critical transition point: while the technical underpinnings of the framework are stabilising, political contestation over its scope, governance, and distributional impacts is intensifying.
Download Reports.
