The Marshall Islands foreign minister, Tony de Brum, has called the secretary general of the International Maritime Organisation a danger to the planet.
He made the comment after Koji Sekimizu spoke out against regulating carbon emissions in the shipping industry.
Koji Sekimizu says any discussion of shipping's contribution to reducing global carbon dioxide emissions is the business of the IMO and not the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Asia Shipping Media reports Mr Sekimizu as saying any move to cap shipping emissions would reduce the industry's ability to meet the demands of the global economy and create an imbalance in the industry and must therefore be avoided.
Tony de Brum Photo: AFP
But Mr de Brum says he is alarmed by the IMO's position.
He says as the country with the third largest shipping registry and one that is facing severe negative impacts from climate change, the Marshall Islands feels obligated to call for the more stringent measures to regulate carbon emissions in the shipping industry.
But he says the Marshall Islands should not have to go it alone.