International ports inspiring deeper commitment in support of the Paris Agreement

When San Francisco hosted the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit last week it brought together state and local governments, businesses and citizens from around the world to showcase climate action taking place, thereby demonstrating how the tide has turned in the race against climate change.

The event also paid tribute to handful of ports that are inspiring deeper national commitments in support of the Paris Agreement.

To keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, and ideally pursue 1.5 degrees—temperatures that could lead to catastrophic consequences—worldwide emissions must start trending downward.

The Summit showcased climate action around the world, along with bold new commitments, to give world leaders the confidence that they can go even further by 2020.

The Summit’s five headline challenge areas were Healthy Energy Systems; Inclusive Economic Growth, Sustainable Communities; Land Transformative Climate Investments; and finally, Ocean Stewardship.

It is important to note that the nation’s largest port – Los Angeles/Long Beach – joined six other international ocean cargo gateways in the initiative called the World Ports Climate Action Program.

This represents the creation of In their release today, the seven ports have agreed to focus on five concrete actions:

1. Increase efficiency of supply chains using digital tools.
2. Advance common and ambitious (public) policy approaches aimed at reducing emissions within larger geographical areas. 
3. Accelerate development of in-port renewable power-2-ship solutions and other zero emission solutions. 
4. Accelerate the development of commercially viable sustainable low-carbon fuels for maritime transport and infrastructure for electrification of ship propulsion systems. 
5. Accelerate efforts to fully decarbonize cargo-handling facilities in our ports.

The World Ports Sustainability Program was initiated by the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH).  The program was officially launched last March, in partnership with several other international and regional port-related organizations.

“As coordinators of the the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP), our aim is to develop new tools, building on existing ones such as the Environmental Ship Index and low-carbon fuel bunkering guidelines, which can be used by all ports on a global scale,” said IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven welcomed the initiative. “These seven port authorities and their collaboration will accelerate that process – our job will be to ensure that ports worldwide benefit from their know-how and innovations as a ‘coalition of the willing’ to reduce greenhouse gases.”