The Minneapolis City Council last week unanimously passed a Ship It Zero resolution that calls on top maritime import polluters to the US to commit to making all imports to the country on 100% zero-emission ships by 2030.
Minneapolis is the third US city to pass a Ship It Zero resolution, following Los Angeles and Long Beach, California.
The three cities have called on companies 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.
The Minneapolis resolution further calls for state and federal legislation or administrative actions to rapidly decarbonise the maritime shipping industry and create zero-emission shipping corridors along the US coast and across the trans-Pacific trade route, building off the recently announced Shanghai, Los Angeles and Long Beach green shipping corridor.
“Given the enormous impact of climate change on our environment, economic circumstances and public health, I am proud to support this initiative that could potentially help address these very real concerns,” said Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins. “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.”
