The two ports and industry partners, including shipping lines and cargo owners in China and the United States have committed to deliver an implementation plan for the green corridor by the end of 2022 that will provide an outline for how they will continue to decarbonize this key international ocean shipping corridor.
The Green Shipping Corridor announcement included language to phase in low carbon and “ultra-low” carbon fuels throughout the 2020s, which could leave room for fossil fuels.
Reaction statements from non-profit groups and local leaders:
“We thank Mayor Garcetti, C40 Cities, the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Shanghai, and leading industry partners for advancing a horizon of hope for our port neighborhoods, oceans, and shared future on this planet by committing to create the world’s first transpacific green shipping corridor this decade. Los Angeles has led the way before and can do so again,” said Dawny’all Heydari, Ship It Zero Campaign Lead at Pacific Environment. “In 2021, fossil-fueled ships at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach increased cancerous particulate matter emissions in Southern California by the equivalent by 100,000 big rig trucks per day. With our port neighbors and oceans dying now, we need urgent action to end ship pollution in 2022 — and a 100% zero-emissions international shipping future this decade. In addition, inclusion of the term ‘low carbon’ in this announcement is concerning: We call on leaders involved in this corridor and all ocean shippers to reject LNG and interim fuels and rapidly invest only in 100% zero-emissions solution from well-to-wake.”
“I commend the C40 Cities and the Ports of Los Angeles and Shanghai for acknowledging the staggering level of emissions caused by the movement of cargo between our ports and for taking an important step toward decarbonizing one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors. This is the level of initiative and coordination we need to ensure that we are moving towards decarbonizing all port calls made to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach by 2030,” said Councilmember Nithya Raman, Los Angeles City Council.
