CAPPA, 68 NGOs Urge International Maritime Organisation To Exclude Biofuels From Global Fuel Standard

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and 68 other international nongovernmental organisations have warned the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) against promoting biofuels as Global Fuel Standard (GFS) and an alternative to petrol in international shipping, saying it threatens rainforests and communities in host countries. 

The NGOs, in an open letter to the IMO Secretariat on February 17, 2025, called on the IMO’s 176 Member States to oppose the promotion of biofuels in international shipping and commit to a future powered by clean energy. 

They stressed that the design of the Global Fuel Standard should be based on stringent life cycle assessment guidelines that exclude the use of biofuels while protecting the climate, the environment, and the livelihood of people. 

According to the IMO, the Global Fuel Standard is a technical measure to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships and to help meet the IMO’s decarbonization targets. 

The letter comes ahead of the IMO’s finalisation of its negotiations on key climate laws for international shipping, at a series of meetings in London.