Sustainability
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Sustainability
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How California could help drive down global seaport emissions | California could lead a global effort to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ocean cargo ships and minimize air pollution near seaports, policy analysts have determined. |
© AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes |
As the busiest shoreline hubs in the Western Hemisphere, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach also endure heightened and highly concentrated air pollution levels, according to two new reports led by the University of California Berkeley. The California Air Resources Board estimated that cargo activities in this region — collectively called the San Pedro Bay ports — have caused about 67 premature deaths and more than 2,000 lower respiratory injuries per year, the authors noted. California ports in general are responsible for about 40 percent of container imports into the U.S. and 30 percent of such exports, per the research, conducted by Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and Energy & Environmental Research Associates.
The reports, commissioned by the nonprofit Pacific Environment, aim to both advise policymakers as to how they might decrease the emissions in the maritime sector and provide technical evaluations of such decarbonization efforts.
"The federal and state governments, including California, need to accelerate efforts to transition ships and ports toward a zero-emission future," David Wooley, director of the Environmental Center at Goldman, said in a statement. "We call on California to gradually transition ships operating in its waters to zero or near zero emission fuels," Wooley added. Crediting the Golden State for its pioneering role in requiring less sulfur in fuels and emissions controls aboard ships, the reports urged officials to signal their intent to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. They could do so by adopting incentives or requirements for zero-carbon fuels in ships that operate in California's waters, if international progress on this issue fails to materialize, per the research.
The authors stressed that while a transition to zero-carbon fuels for shipping "will not be easy," they believe that "there are clear near-term technical and policy options to significantly reduce emissions."
Such steps, they explained, could "lay the foundation for a fully decarbonized industry by 2040." |
Welcome to The Hill’s Sustainability newsletter, I'm Sharon Udasin — every week we follow the latest moves in the growing battle over sustainability in the U.S. and around the world. |
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Latest news impacting sustainability this week and beyond: |
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The House Agriculture committee is trying to fund its farm bill proposals with “counterfeit money,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters Wednesday morning. Vilsack spoke after a range of groups from across the political spectrum criticized House Republicans’ proposed farm bill, which seeks to direct tens of billions to subsidies for farmers of peanuts, rice and cotton. House Agriculture Committee Chair … |
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Wildfire smoke covered as much as 70 percent of California in recent years — wreaking havoc not only on land, but also in the state’s vast freshwater ecosystems, a study published Wednesday has found. In the past 18 years, maximum smoke cover over the state has increased by about 116,000 square miles — equivalent to about 74.4 percent of California’s entire land area, according to the study published in Communications: … |
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| The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will be establishing the first federal research center focused on bolstering community resilience to local heat impacts, the institution announced Monday. The Center of Excellence for Heat Resilient Communities, housed at the university’s Luskin Center for Innovation, is receiving a $2.25 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National … |
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A sprawling water district that serves residents, ranchers and recreators on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains is preparing to invest a mammoth $98.5 million on a tiny hydropower plant in a bipartisan, multi-sectorial effort to help secure the Colorado River’s future. In the coming weeks, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) is expected to sign into law a comprehensive water conservation bill that would include … |
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Extreme temperatures may raise risk of stroke death |
Both extreme heat and cold are associated with heightened risks of death from stroke, a new study has found.
That link was stronger in low-income than in high-income studies, according to the study, published on Wednesday in Stroke. Extreme effects: The connection between temperature extremes and stroke fatalities, the authors noted, applies to both of the two main types of stroke: Ischemic and hemorrhagic. -
Ischemic strokes — 87 percent of all strokes — are those caused by a blood vessel blockage, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
- Hemorrhagic strokes are those caused by bleeding.
Bearing the brunt: With temperature spikes could come not only a rise in such deaths but also “a widening disparity in stroke mortality between high- and low-income countries," lead author Barrak Alahmad, an environmental health researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement. That discrepancy, he explained, is due to the fact that "the latter are likely to bear the brunt of climate change."
An international issue: To evaluate the potential link between extreme temperatures and strokes through a global lens, the researchers built a multinational database by harnessing information available through a global environmental health consortium. -
The database included more than 3.4 million ischemic and more than 2.4 million hemorrhagic stroke deaths.
- The deaths were reported between 1979 and 2019 across 522 cities in 25 countries.
Deadly heat and cold: The authors found that for every 1,000 total stroke deaths, about 11 were attributable to extreme heat or cold. - Of those, the hottest and coldest 2.5 percent of the days were responsible for 2.2 and 9.1 excess deaths, respectively.
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Out of every 1,000 hemorrhagic strokes, the hottest and coldest 2.5 percent of the days were to blame for 0.7 and 11.2 excess deaths.
Heat and hemorrhage: Low-income countries bore a greater burden of heat-related hemorrhagic stroke deaths, according to the study. -
Such nations might also be enduring more cold-related hemorrhagic stroke deaths, but the evidence was suggestive, rather than conclusive.
- The authors did not find any such link with respect to ischemic stroke deaths.
Closing the gap: The differences may be related to the availability of indoor temperature control systems and lower rates of outdoor work in higher-income countries, the authors explained.
As climate change continues to intensify temperature extremes, the researchers called for further research and interventional strategies to help mitigate stroke-related fatalities — particularly in low-income countries. |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
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The Navajo Nation Council last week said it was considering legislation that would authorize a comprehensive water rights settlement with the federal government, Arizona Public Radio station KNAU reported. While it remains to be seen if Congress will approve and finance the agreement, it would allow the Navajo Nation to move Colorado River water across the system's Upper and Lower basins and divert resources to tribal populations in Arizona, according to KNAU.
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Branch out with different reads from The Hill: |
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House and Senate Democrats are referring the results of their probe into alleged climate disinformation by the oil industry to the Justice Department. |
Capitol Hill’s permitting reform advocates are pressing forward despite Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) throwing cold water on the prospects of advancing legislation to speed up the nation’s energy projects. |
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Local and state headlines on sustainability issues: |
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How bringing buffalo back can combat climate change, heal indigenous people in Texas (KSAT)
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Arizona tribes were left out of water decisions until 1908. Here’s how they negotiate today (Fronteras)
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Pesky insect is latest deadly threat to California’s mighty giant sequoia trees (San Francisco Chronicle)
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Sustainability news we've flagged from other outlets: |
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What causes air turbulence and is the climate crisis making it worse? (The Guardian)
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Biden and Big Oil Had a Truce. Now, It’s Collapsing. (The New York Times)
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Why China’s top Covid expert is studying climate change to prepare for the next global pandemic (South China Morning News)
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More stories on The Hill right now: |
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The number of students missing at least 18 days a year has nearly doubled since 2018, sounding an alarm among educators. Read more |
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The goal is to keep homeless alcoholics out of jail and out of the emergency room. Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you next week! |
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