Background
Ports may be world trade hubs, but they are also centres of concentrated pollution from ships. This pollution affects surrounding communities – who are often disadvantaged and from minority backgrounds. In the United States, one study found that “around 40% of zip codes within a 25-mile radius of the major ports in California are designated as ‘disadvantaged’ communities”. These communities end up with health problems because of shipping pollution.
Shipping’s main climate emissions are CO2, methane, black carbon and nitrogen oxide, however the impact of black carbon is not included in estimates of shipping’s climate impact. Black carbon adds significantly to shipping’s carbon impact, particularly in polar regions as it absorbs solar energy and therefore accelerates heating.
There is little to no regulation anywhere in the world to reduce the climate impact of maritime freight. One exception to that is the European Union. This paper sets out the impacts of international shipping on local communities in the US and on the global climate system. It then considers technological and legal routes to reducing those effects.
The scale of the problem
- About 50,000 ships haul 80% of the world’s cargo around the world every year.
- Maritime shipping is responsible for 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions per year (excluding black carbon). If it were a country, maritime shipping would be the sixth-largest emitter in the world, with higher emissions than Germany.
- Globally, shipping’s air pollution is responsible for around 266,000 premature deaths per year.
- A US study of the major ports of California found that adding just one more ship to port leads to an additional 3.1 hospital visits per thousand Black residents within 25 miles of the port, and 1.1 hospital visits for white residents.
What’s covered in the report?
This paper, written on behalf of and for the Moving Forward Network (MFN), finds that:
- There are technological solutions, such as reducing the speed of a ship or using battery power rather than fuel for shorter journey, that can be swiftly implemented to immediately reduce emissions. An estimated one-third of emissions could be reduced worldwide just from efficiency measures alone.
- Any solutions aimed at zero emissions should look at the whole lifecycle of the proposed technology to ensure additional harms are not caused anywhere along the production chain of that technology.
- Regulating ships that dock in US ports is the most appropriate way of tackling the environmental impact of shipping – whether international or domestic – in the US. Ports are part of the domestic jurisdiction of the US and all ships stopping in US ports must comply with US regulations.
Download our report to learn more.