Considering the Maritime Industry’s Carbon Footprint

SACRAMENTO – On May 10, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released a draft plan navigating the state’s transition to a clean energy economy, drastically reducing the use of fossil fuels, achieving carbon neutrality by 2045 or sooner, and significantly cleaning the state’s air, especially in disadvantaged communities disproportionately burdened by persistent pollution.   The maritime industry transports more than 10 billion metric tons of cargo each year, including clothing, electronics, and oil. The majority of these ships run on fossil fuels, so they emit an abundance of carbon pollution. Maritime shipping causes about 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, even more than airplanes. “The marine regulations called out in the draft Scoping Plan are mostly for ocean-going vessels,” said David Clegern, public information officer for CARB, in an email from May 18. “That includes full implementation of the 2021 At Berth Regulation that provides GHG, diesel particulate matter, NOx, and reactive organic gases (ROG) emissions reductions by requiring vessels to plug into grid electricity when they are at berth (or use another approved emission control technology). In 2007, CARB developed the original At Berth Regulation that required container, cruise, and refrigerated cargo to use grid electricity at berth beginning in 2014. The...