New York: China should embrace the concepts of emission control areas (ECAs) up and down its coastline to help combat pollution, an American NGO has said in a recently published report.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), while applauding the lead taken by Hong Kong and latterly Shenzhen to get lines to adopt low sulphur fuel, said more needed to be done, perhaps on a national scale.
“China’s container ports are among the busiest in the world, yet their pollution is mostly unmonitored and uncontrolled” said Barbara Finamore, NRDC’s Asia director. “Along with the massive cargo every ship and truck delivers to these ports, comes even more air pollution in the form of a toxic stew of cancer-causing diesel exhaust and black carbon that chronically plague China’s growing port regions. Luckily, today we have a suite of proven strategies and clean technologies, already employed around the world, which can reduce these shipping emissions.”
NRDC has worked for over two decades to eliminate dirty diesel fuel and clean port operations worldwide, including pioneering action plans to clean up the largest toxic hotspots, implement clean freight and reduce port-related pollution at the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere.
“As the world’s top trading nation, China has an enormous imperative and opportunity to demonstrate bold trade leadership that respects human health and the environment. By embracing 21st century port and shipping emissions control systems, China can clean up its air pollution while enabling sustainable shipping industry growth for decades to come,” said Finamore. [03/11/14]
