The European Commission’s plan to include the maritime sector in the scope of its Emissions Trading System has drawn criticism from South Korea and Japan, as Reuters reports. The EC is to bring the proposal to the European Parliament mid-next year as part of its strategy of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; both Japan and South Korea have suggested that doing so would incentivise international shipping to bypass European ports and take longer shipping routes, therefore increasing emissions. Japan argued that this would apply even if the carbon market only included intra-EU shipping, though it is not immediately clear why. Certainly, if the market expanded in the short term to include intra-EU shipping, it would raise the cost of shipping, as low-emissions options are not yet commercialised (the International Maritime Organisation is currently working on a plan for the halving of maritime emissions by 2050), and this would perhaps affect Japanese and South Korean fleets operating in the region. However, an inclusion of shipping in the medium term might help to incentivise the development of new technologies such as hydrogen and ammonia-powered ships.