The busiest container port in the world and the busiest one in the United States, Shanghai and Los Angeles, have announced a partnership aiming to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with the creation of a “green corridor” that will connect these two major port cities.
The two ports, together with C40 Cities, a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities who are cooperating to confront the climate crisis, and other 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 the year that will provide an outline for how they will continue to decarbonise this key maritime shipping corridor.
“Accelerating efforts to decarbonise the shipping sector is urgent if we are to limit global heating to 1.5°C. By convening international coalitions of the willing and creating a scalable and replicable model for other cities to follow, we hope this ground-breaking green shipping corridor initiative will catalyse action on a global scale,” commented Mark Watts, executive director of C40 Cities.
Key decarbonisation goals for the Green Shipping Corridor partnership include:
- The phasing in of low, ultra-low, and zero-carbon fuelled ships through the 2020s, with the world’s first zero-carbon transpacific container ships introduced by 2030 by qualified and willing shipping lines.
- The development of best management practices to help reduce emissions and improve efficiency for all ships using this international trade corridor.
- Reducing supply chain emissions from port operations, improving air quality in the ports of Shanghai and Los Angeles and adjacent communities.
The City of Shanghai, the City of Los Angeles, the Port of Shanghai (through the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission), the Port of Los Angeles and C40 Cities initiated this Green Shipping Corridor partnership, while participating partners include some of the most important container shipping players, such as Maersk, CMA CGM, Shanghai International Ports Group (SIPG) and COSCO.
“International collaboration is essential to decarbonise global supply chains,” noted Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, who pointed out that “It’s time to get started on this important work.”
