Ships are among the worst polluters in California. Ship pollution contributes to an estimated 3,700 premature deaths each year in California. Overall, if ocean shipping were a country, it would be the sixth largest polluter behind Germany. This is why we need ocean ships to move off fossil fuels, stop polluting our ports, and for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to commit to zero-emission shipping by 2040.
California Must Phase out the Dirtiest Ships & End Fossil Fueled Shipping by 2040 to Save Lives
Ships are among the worst polluters in California. Ship pollution contributes to an estimated 3,700 premature deaths each year in California. Overall, if ocean shipping were a country, it would be the sixth largest polluter behind Germany. This is why we need ocean ships to move off fossil fuels, stop polluting our ports, and for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to commit to zero-emission shipping by 2040.
National and regional organizations are encouraging CARB to make these commitments. The state of California has already shown leadership in cleaning up trucks and cars, now ocean ships are next. The commercial zero-emissions market Is maturing and we are seeing fast-evolving, climate-friendly shift to zero-emission technologies. The time is now to get off of fossil fuels. Read our coalition letter to CARB.
Benefits of Ending Fossil-fueled Shipping
Fossil-fueled ships idling at our ports are bad for our climate, our health and neighboring portside communities, The California Air Resources Board estimates that the updated at-berth policy will save 237 lives and yield $2.31 billion in public health benefits for Californians between 2021 and 2032. CARB expanded its at-berth rules in 2020 to include more types of vessels, could drive a 55% reduction in potential cancer risk for communities near the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Richmond. This is why CARB and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must not delay – we must implement these regulations as soon as possible.
When ships come into our ports, they don’t always turn off their engines – instead, they idle and continue to spew contaminants into the air from burning heavy fuel oil, the dirtiest fuel on the planet. Instead, we want ports to electrify, so ships can plug in to a 100% zero-emission electric grid and avoid burning harmful fossil fuels so all Californians can breathe easier. We also need CARB to tackle toxic pollution from ships in the water, and at anchor by adopting a zero-emission in-transit shipping standard for all vessels calling on ports in California, requiring ships to reach 100% greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria pollutant emission reductions by 2040.
Read our fact sheets for the California Communities of Stockton, SoCal and Richmond to learn more.
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