Ship It Zero Resolution Passes City Council

In the shadow of a container ship belching pollutants, members of the First Congregational Church of Long Beach Board of Social Justice and Outreach died for eight minutes this past Earth Day. Why? To dramatize the eight years lower life expectancy that communities on the west side of Long Beach, and in Wilmington and San Pedro experience as a result of port, transportation, and refinery pollution.

The die-in was the culmination of the April 22 Ship It Zero March to Target. Our container “ship” was cleverly constructed of cardboard boxes, the “pollution” was non-carcinogenic steam, and at the end of those eight minutes we were all able to stand up, alive and well. But that’s not the reality for many, and as international shipping is on the rise (with 40% of US cargo coming through the ports of LB and LA) pollution from the industry is expected to reach 17% of global carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

Facing this grim reality, the Long Beach City Council has decided to take action. At their June 21 meeting, the Council unanimously passed the Ship It Zero resolution. This resolution calls for:

• top maritime importers arriving in the San Pedro port complex to rapidly adopt existing emissions-reducing technologies and to use 100% zero-emissions ships by 2030;
• the Port of Long Beach to establish green international ocean shipping corridors (earlier this month, the Port signed on to the Shanghai to Los Angeles green shipping corridor, the first of its kind in the world; this article in Offshore Energy gives details);
• the Port to create additional green shipping corridors along the California and western US coasts.

Thanks to the Long Beach City Council for prioritizing the health of Long Beach residents and taking this bold step. As Dawny’all Heydari, the Ship It Zero Campaign organizer, writes, “No longer shall west Long Beach be treated as the collateral damage of the American economy.” Agreed.