The Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a Ship It Zero resolution last week, calling on top maritime import polluters to the United States to commit to making all imports to the United States on 100% zero-emission ships by 2030.
According to the Pacific Environment, Minneapolis is now the third U.S. city to pass a Ship It Zero resolution, following precedent set by Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA. These three cities have called on top maritime import polluters to the United States including Target, Walmart, Amazon, and IKEA, to immediately adopt emission-reducing technologies such as wind-assist propulsion and fully move products off fossil-fueled ships by the end of the decade. Together, Los Angeles and Long Beach are the top site of Target Corporation’s imports.
The Minneapolis resolution further calls for state and federal legislation or administrative actions to rapidly decarbonize the maritime shipping industry and create zero-emission shipping corridors along the U.S. Coast and across the trans-Pacific trade route, building off the recently announced Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Long Beach green shipping corridor.
Ninety-five percent of Target’s imports pass through West Coast ports, especially Los Angeles and Long Beach. Together, the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports are home to the largest port complex in the Western Hemisphere, responsible for 40% of imports to the United States. Pandemic-era fossil-fueled ship congestion has increased cancer-causing particulate matter emissions by an equivalent to 100,000 big rig trucks per day in these cities..
“This resolution calls on large retailers to abandon fossil fueled ships and transition to 100% zero-emission ships by 2030, serves to create awareness about the devastating climate impacts of the maritime shipping industry across the county, and is a first step in initiating conversations with local retailers and government partners to advocate for greater climate strategies that address the subsequent air and water pollution from these practices.
..said City Council President Andrea Jenkins, Ward 8.
“I join the call to top maritime polluters, especially those with large footprints in Minneapolis, to commit to immediate and impactful decarbonizing efforts,” said Council Member Aisha Chughtai, Ward 10.
This is just one of many ways our city can move towards our climate impact goals and ensure our residents will have a future with clean air and water.
