{"id":276,"date":"2011-01-11T14:29:38","date_gmt":"2011-01-11T19:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citizenstrade.org\/draft\/trade-and-shipping-pollution\/"},"modified":"2011-05-18T05:06:51","modified_gmt":"2011-05-18T09:06:51","slug":"trade-and-shipping-pollution","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.citizenstrade.org\/ctc\/trade-issues\/trade-public-health-the-environment\/trade-and-shipping-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"Trade and Shipping Pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"

No safe harbor<\/strong>
\nThe amount of air pollution produced by ocean-going vessels is staggering. A single cargo ship can produce as much air pollution as 350,000 cars in an hour. These large, ocean-going ships operate on diesel engines the size of a single-family home, and most burn \u201cbunker\u201d fuel, which is cheap, but much more polluting than fuels used to power vehicles. Bunker fuel contains high concentrations of toxic compounds banned from use in most other industrial and consumer applications.<\/p>\n

As global trade increases, global shipping is expected to double within the next decade, bringing shipping pollution to new highs. EPA estimates that emissions from ocean-going vessels will double their contributions to the national mobile source inventory of sulfur oxides and quadruple particulate matter\u2014both of which are major health threats. According to EPA, by 2030 shipping is expected to grow nearly three-fold over 2000 levels. This increased level of shipping not only degrades air quality, but also contributes to the acidification and eutrophication of waterways through deposition and carbon dioxide emissions.<\/p>\n

We need to strengthen port regulations to protect local communities and waters, to enact health-protective national and international shipping standards, and to achieve global warming reductions from ocean-going vessels in order to attain pollution reductions worldwide. <\/p>\n

News<\/strong>
\nGreat Barrier Reef at Risk as Coal-Ship Traffic May Jump 67%<\/a> \u200eBusinessWeek, Apr 8, 2010
\nInternational regulators agree to curb North American ship pollution<\/a>
\nScott Learn, The Oregonian<\/a>, March 26, 2010
\nShips in US, Canadian waters to face stricter pollution controls<\/a> Washington Post, Mar 26, 2010
\nEnglish Channel shipping pollution puts lives in danger<\/a> Hawkings Gazette, October 2009
\nUS, Canada ask UN-IMO to create shipping pollution buffer zone<\/a> Story on UN International Maritime Organization, April 2009
\nSHIPPING’S DIRTY CARGO<\/a> \/ Port pollution poses huge health threat International Longshore and Warehouse Union, 2006
\nShip pollution clouds USA’s skies.<\/a> USA Today, 2004<\/p>\n

Background<\/strong>
\nEPA Studies Emissions from Houston-Bound Cargo Ship<\/a>
\nInternational initiative will reduce sulfur dioxide from ship stacks EPA Release on 04\/15\/2010
\nIt’s official \u2013 dirty diesel ships must clean up their act along all U.S. coasts<\/a> Natural Resources Defense Council (blog) – \u200eMar 26, 2010\u200e
\nWhy we can’t afford to expand high carbon fuels<\/a> Natural Resources Defense Council (blog)
\nHow to Cut Freight Pollution, Part I: Port and Rail Corridor Examples<\/a> By Environmental Defense<\/a>, Mar 25, 2010
\nNo Safe Harbor: The Shipping Industry\u2019s Pollution Problem<\/a> DC Bureau, August 2009
\nDiesel Ships: Floating Smokestacks<\/a> Environmental Defense Fund, June 2009
\nShip pollution law “not breaching global rules”<\/a> Helinski Commission, 2007
\nInternational Trade & Air Pollution: Economic Costs of Air Emissions<\/a> Kevin P. Gallagher and Robin Taylor<\/p>\n

More from Friends of the Earth<\/strong>
\nCalifornia Air Board Approves Tough New Limits on Ship Emissions<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

At the urging of Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups, the California Air Resources Board took a bold step towards the clean up of vessel air emissions by passing a regulation to phase out the use of dirty bunker fuel. Starting in 2009, the new rule requires ships to burn low-sulfur diesel fuel instead of bunker fuel within 24 nautical miles of California’s coast — significantly reducing particulate matter, sulfur oxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions. The shipping industry consistently opposes any attempt to reduce the dangerous air emissions from vessels which is why California’s new rule is vitally necessary and important.<\/p>\n

Letter to CARB<\/a> | SF Chronicle: Air board OKs toughest limits on ship exhausts<\/a><\/p>\n

Ship Pollution Accelerates Even With Cleaner Fuels<\/strong>
\nRead new FOE submissions to the IMO on air pollution standards for ships:<\/p>\n