The port crisis poses challenges to the environment

“If you stand on one of the piers in Long Beach, you can see the puffs of smoke coming out of those ships, contributing to what has been historically bad air quality…”

Christopher Chavez, deputy policy director for the nonprofit Coalition for Clean Air

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The major shipping ports across the nation have made news for congestion and persistent bottlenecks. The disruptions impact the entire supply chain, slowing deliveries, and contributing to higher prices. The backlog has captured the attention of all levels of government – including the White House. President Biden issued an executive order directing federal agencies to address the problems, strengthen critical supply chains, and form a supply-chain task force to work with the ports.   

Still, slower deliveries and surging prices are not the only adverse consequences. Extraordinary demands on ports also pose significant challenges to the environment. Ports are already major contributors to bad air, which California has tried to remedy through various clean air action plans. But now, with the accumulation of container ships – stretched out in the waters around the ports – clean-air advocates have sounded the alarm.   

“We’re concerned,” said Christopher Chavez, deputy policy director for the nonprofit Coalition for Clean Air. “If you stand on one of the piers in Long Beach, you can see the puffs of smoke coming out of those ships, contributing to what has been historically bad air quality…”  

Ships are waiting days – in some cases weeks - to enter the ports and offload cargo. As the ships wait, they idle their engines emitting pollutants. The ships run the engines to hold their place at anchor and provide the necessary power to keep key systems operational.  Moreover, when needed, anchored ships will activate their main engines to handle storms. All of this generates added emissions of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, fine particulate matter, and other pollutants.       

Chris Cannon, chief sustainability officer for the Port of Los Angeles, noted that anchored ship emissions increased from a pre-pandemic figure of 1% of overall ship emissions to 42% of emissions in December of 2020.  UC Davis civil and environmental engineering professor, Michael Kleeman, speculated that “the fuel used by those ships while they are anchored contains enough sulfur to contribute to the regional haze problem.”  

Satellite images

Using air pollution data collected by satellites, atmospheric scientists concluded that the unusual shipping activities in LA and New York ports likely affected air quality – though scientists were careful to say other industries and processes play a role.   

Compared to the same period in 2019 and 2018, the October 2021 data show greater concentrations of nitrogen dioxide pollution offshore – where the ships are scattered about.  In the satellite images, the yellow and orange colors denote substantial increases in nitrogen dioxide.    

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Trucks

It’s not just shipping that causes pollution. The unprecedented volume of cargo leads to dramatic increases in vehicle activity in-and-around the ports. Trucks must move the containers inland.  

Data compiled by Lytx Inc., a San Diego company that uses telematics to monitor vehicle movements, shows substantial increases in vehicle trips around the ports.   

For example, from January thru October 2021, 788,455 vehicle trips occurred in the areas around the ports of Los Angeles and New York. Compare this to the entire 12 months of 2020, which had 544,089 trips. The year-over-year increase in trips is nearly 45%!    

Lytx also tracks idling time per vehicle. Before the pandemic, in 2019, idle time per vehicle – for the entire year – averaged 17 hours.  In 2020, idle time increased 26% to 21.5 hours per vehicle.  

So far, in 2021, the average idle time has reached an entire day – 24 hours per vehicle! And expect that average to increase. November and December data must still be accounted for. Overall, Lytx indicates that approximately 50 years of idle time has been wasted at the major East and West coast ports.      

The Department of Transportation estimates truck idling uses about a gallon of fuel per hour.  In addition, the Department of Energy calculates that idling results in millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year – which impacts the health of those living near emissions sites.     

The California Air Resources Board issued a report 2 months ago that showed during March 2021 – a period that witnessed a 50% increase in port activity compared to 2019 –  particulate matter emitted increased by 0.27 tons per day as did nitrogen oxide at 14.5 tons (overall).  This is equivalent to exhaust emissions from 50,000 Class 8 diesel trucks every day.  

At the time of the study, there were only 25 carrier ships anchored.  Today, there are 38 anchored at the port of Los Angeles, and 41 at Long Beach.  The average wait has increased to nearly 17 days, doubling the number from just two months ago.                        

Bottom line

Port bottlenecks and backlogs have become a drag on the nation’s economy and a political risk for President Biden.  Scarcity and delays exert upward pressure on prices and spotlight labor shortages – including truck drivers and warehouse workers. And, amid surging inflation, consumer sentiment is now deteriorating.

Efficient ports are thus vital to a thriving economy. However, ports must also balance environmental concerns with the critical economic role they play. The port crisis has upset that balance, confronting even the most experienced port authorities with the worst circumstances they have ever faced. This changed a difficult job into an unbearable one.   

Port authorities must traverse an increasingly complex web of transportation, labor, social, environmental, and political interests. The difficulties multiply exponentially as demands on the port grow. Economic issues take center stage and environmental interests take a back seat.  

As a result, a speedy resolution of our nation’s port troubles is as important to the environment as it is to the economy.      

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