The maritime shipping industry creates nearly 3 percent of all global climate pollution but has struggled to reduce emissions from the sector and maritime trade volumes are expected to triple by 2050. Now shipping companies and international regulators are trying to accelerate the switch to cleaner shipping technology through creating green corridors among the world’s busiest container shipping routes, including between Los Angeles and Shanghai. Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles told AP that “the vision is that a container will leave a factory on a zero-emissions truck (in China)…arrive at the port of Shanghai, be loaded onto a ship by a zero-emissions cargo handling equipment unit, and move across the Pacific Ocean on a vessel that emits zero carbon. Once it gets to Los Angeles, the reverse happens.”

The Paris accord exempts maritime shipping, partly because vessels do international business, and less than half of all major shippers have agreed to meet international climate pollution goals. However, the Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels group secured commitments from major retailers like Amazon, Michelin and Target to push their shippers to transition to zero-emissions shipping by 2040. (AP)