The U.S. Government has announced several initiatives in support of the Green Shipping Challenge, which encourages governments, ports, and companies to commit to transitioning to more environmentally sustainable methods of shipping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Green Shipping Challenge was organized by the U.S. and Norway as part of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). Countries, ports, and companies made more than 40 major announcements related to the transition to low- or zero-emission shipping.
The green shipping initiatives announced by the U.S. include:
- The Inflation Reduction Act includes a new $3 billion rebate and grant program at the Environmental Protection Agency to provide funding for zero-emission port equipment or technology, technical assistance for electrification and emissions reductions planning, and port climate action plan development to promote the public health of near-port communities.
- The U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than $703 million to fund 41 projects in 22 states and one territory that will improve port facilities through the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. The funding will benefit coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports, and inland river ports, helping improve supply chain reliability through increased port capacity and resilience, more efficient operations, reduced port emissions, and new workforce opportunities.
- Working with countries in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) with a goal of phasing out greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping to zero no later than 2050.
- Establishing a green shipping corridor with the Republic of Korea between major cargo ports in the two countries.
- Working to establish a Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence Seaway System Green Shipping Corridor Network Initiative with Canada.
- Supporting the establishment of green shipping corridors between the U.S. and the U.K. by way of the newly launched U.S. – U.K. green shipping corridor task force.
- Releasing a transportation sector decarbonization blueprint, which will serve as a roadmap for expanding federal agency priorities to create options for traveling smarter, more efficiently, and cleaner, and developing a U.S. maritime decarbonization strategy, which will identify the pathways for decarbonization of the domestic maritime sector.
- Launching the Green Shipping Corridor Hub, an online platform a green shipping corridor route tracker, a matchmaker tool to help stakeholders connect, and a library of green shipping corridor reports and analyses.
- Launching the Green Shipping Corridors Initiation Project with $1.5 million to support feasibility studies for green shipping corridors involving developing countries and symposia to bring together country representatives and non-state actors, including ports and companies, on green shipping corridor opportunities and implementation.
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