Complete list of press releases

March 11, 2018 (WASHINGTON) – Commercial workboat engines, which are essential for maritime commerce, are staying in service more than two times longer than predicted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to new research from the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). This finding reveals important opportunities for clean air improvements, especially in large port cities like New York and Houston.

DTF and EDF’s new report, “Impact of Updated Service Life Estimates on Harbor Craft and Switcher Locomotive Emission Forecasts and Cost-Effectiveness”, completed by Ramboll Environ, found the average Category 2 workboat remains in service for 50 years, instead of the 23-year lifespan estimated by the EPA in the 2008 Heavy Duty Locomotive and Marine Rule. A longer service life reduces the fleet’s turnover rate to cleaner, lower-emitting engines, therefore increasing future-year emission estimates.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that, as of 2014, there were approximately 9,000 Category 1 and 2 marine vessels operating on U.S. waters. The Category 2 workboats highlighted in the DTF and EDF report have displacements of 7 to 30 liters per cylinder and are installed primarily in larger workboats like pushboats, towboats or off-shore support vessels. These vessels provide a range of essential services in waterborne commerce including towing, harbor navigation, docking, supply and rescue, and recovery.

“Diesel engines are known and valued for their legendary durability; thanks to their unmatched combination of power, performance, efficiency and reliability, diesel engines are the technology of choice for marine workboats,” said Ezra Finkin, DTF Policy and Outreach Director. “This report underscores that more, older engines remain in service today. Since real-world workboat engines are operating with longer lifespans, the actual nitrogen oxide emission reductions are 52 percent weaker than predicted in EPA’s 2008 Rule calculations. Replacing more of these older and longer-lived engines with the latest clean diesel models, faster, will generate significant emissions reductions.

The EPA estimates that, as of 2014, 81 percent of Category 1 and 2 workboats used older, uncontrolled or Tier 1 diesel engines, which are 10 times higher in emissions than a modern Tier 4 diesel engine. According to the DTF-EDF report, the slow turnover rate of these technologies means communities will only see nitrogen oxide (NOx) reductions of 161,167 tons per year, well below the 333,925-ton reduction predicted in the EPA 2008 Rule. Similarly, fine particulate emissions (PM 2.5) will only be reduced by 3,537 tons per year, instead of by 8,758 tons per year.

“Most tugs are operating in locations near America’s ports which do not meet current federal health-based air quality standards,” said Dr. Elena Craft, EDF Senior Director. “This study underscores the need to increase funding for the replacement of older marine engines, reduce exposure to diesel emissions, and for EPA to update the service life assumptions used by the 2008 Rule.”

Starting in 2015, new diesel engines used in marine applications in the United States were required to meet Tier 4 emissions standards. Relative to previous generations of technology, these latest clean diesel technologies are proven to dramatically reduce emissions, including nitrogen oxides and fine particulates, by 88 percent to 95 percent compared to previous generations.

Significant Emissions Reductions Opportunity: New York and Houston Examples

Despite the widespread availability of the new, cleaner diesel engines for workboats, the cost and downtime required to upgrade to new engines and other factors have likely delayed investments in the newest technologies.

“If the rate of turnover to the newest generation of diesel technologies can be accelerated, near-port communities stand to reap significant air quality benefits; it’s definitely low-hanging fruit on the clean air tree,” said Allen Schaeffer, DTF Executive Director. “For example, if all existing Category 2 vessels serving the New York Harbor upgraded to the newest diesel engines, emissions in the New York metropolitan area would be cut by more than 8 tons of nitrogen oxides per day. In the Port of Houston and Galveston, more than 4 tons of nitrogen oxides reductions per day could be realized for the Houston metropolitan area.”

State governments have an opportunity right now to replace old work boat engines with new ones, delivering significant and immediate emission reductions for surrounding communities, long before many other options. States can use funds from Volkswagen’s $2.9 billion environmental mitigation trust for marine repower projects.

A related study by DTF and EDF confirms that upgrading workboats to the newest-model clean diesel engines delivers the greatest emissions improvements for the lowest cost. Commercial marine engine upgrade or repower projects are very cost-effective owing to high engine rated power, hours of operation, engine load, and long service life. On average, upgrading the engines of a single tugboat to the newest diesel technologies eliminates 14.9 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions per year for only $4,379 per ton of nitrogen oxide eliminated. Compare this to the cost of many other types of nitrogen oxide -reduction projects: more than $30,000 per ton of nitrogen oxide.

“Large engine repowers are more than six times as cost effective on a dollar-per-ton-of-emissions-reduced basis than other projects, which should make for an easy and compelling choice for states in ozone non-attainment,” said Schaeffer. “The incentive funds give boat operators a brand new, more efficient, fuel-saving and lower-emitting engine at a fraction the cost. Even better, the emission benefits associated with these projects will accrue quickly and persist for many years.”

Learn more:

• https://ww.dieselforum.org/largeengineupgrades
• https://www.dieselforum.org/vwfund
• https://www.edf.org/climate/making-clean-ports-reality-across-country

(Washington, D.C. – March 7, 2019) Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council are urging a court to make the Environmental Protection Agency release crucial materials that could expose the faulty logic behind the Trump administration’s attack on America’s Clean Car Standards.

The groups filed a response with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York today saying the administration had failed to deliver these important materials as the law requires and as EPA has always done in the past.

The case involves the OMEGA model – a long used computer model to assess clean car protections. The Trump administration is trying to drastically weaken America’s Clean Car Standards, and public records indicate the latest version of the OMEGA model would show the current Clean Car Standards can be achieved by automakers at a substantially lower cost than alleged by the administration. But the administration has refused to release the model and their rollback proposal completely disregards its existence.

EDF and NRDC submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain that computer model and related materials. They got no response to repeated requests, and eventually asked the court to intervene and pry the information from EPA.

This week, EPA filed a letter with the court saying it had released some information but was “withholding the full version of the OMEGA model.” The letter still asked the court not to decide whether EPA has violated the law or whether the agency must produce the withheld model.

Today, EDF and NRDC filed a response saying:

“OMEGA and the information it provides are urgently needed to enable meaningful public accountability of EPA and its pending action to weaken vehicle emission standards … EPA has not provided the full determination FOIA requires and remains in violation of the law.”

The Clean Car Standards have been in effect since 2012. They reduce climate pollution, improve fuel efficiency and save American families money at the pump.

“This is information that is vitally important for protecting Americans from dangerous pollution from cars. The public has a right to this information, but the Trump administration continues to stonewall. We will work vigorously to ensure EPA makes it available,” said EDF senior attorney Martha Roberts.

“The public has a right to know what the impact will be of the Trump administration’s proposal to gut tailpipe emission standards, but EPA continues to stonewall,” said Pete Huffman, a lawyer for NRDC. “What it provided is gibberish. EPA says releasing the full computer model, as it has in the past, would ‘harm’ its decision-making. But the administration cannot withhold information just because it would undermine its efforts to roll back these important safeguards.”

EDF and NRDC will file a more detailed motion with the court early next week.

Español, Français

The powerful International Civil Aviation Organization Council this week agreed on the criteria that will be used to evaluate emissions units and programs for ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation. The Council also approved terms of reference for a technical advisory board that will conduct the evaluations and make recommendations to the Council on program eligibility.  
 
Environmental Defense Fund welcomes the adoption of the criteria since they include – at least in principle – key elements needed to ensure that only credible emission reductions units can be used by airlines to offset their emissions. The Council’s pledges to issue an open invitation to emissions unit programs to apply for eligibility, publish program applications on ICAO’s website, and invite public comment on them, are positive steps.  
 
But yesterday’s announcement does not yet secure whether CORSIA will operate with integrity. The Council has placed great responsibility on the Technical Advisory Body to review offset program applications worth potentially billions of dollars. But this board’s membership is undisclosed to date, as are its conflict of interest procedures and operational guidelines. Most worrying is the possibility that the board’s recommendations would remain confidential – a near total departure from normal UN practice.
 
“Getting the criteria adopted, the application process posted on ICAO’s website, and the review board established are positive steps,” said Baroness Bryony Worthington, executive director of Environmental Defense Fund Europe. “But given the massive lack of transparency around ICAO generally and the board in particular, there is as of yet no guarantee that CORSIA overall will result in genuine carbon offsets and thereby make a meaningful contribution toward climate protection.”
 
The criteria agreed by the ICAO Council include language that precludes double counting – banning an emission reduction from being counted by both the airline and the country where the reduction took place. EDF welcomes the ban, but warns double counting can only be avoided with robust guidelines that include the necessary level of engagement and transparent accounting by the country in which the emission reductions underlying the offset take place.
 
The criteria do not include a restriction on dubious credits generated pre-2020 or leftover from the Kyoto Protocol. These crucial “vintage and timeframe” recommendations will be left for the board and for decision by the Council at a later meeting.
 
“It’s not in anyone’s interest to allow into CORSIA offsets that are double counted or lack climate benefit,” said Annie Petsonk, EDF international counsel. “The emission reductions used by airlines need to represent real climate action. If detailed rules restricting old vintages and requiring host party engagement and holistic accounting aren’t clearly laid out in public guidelines and adhered to, then an in-principle ban isn’t good enough. The ICAO Council must ensure ICAO implements a CORSIA that works,” Petsonk said.   

To learn more, visit edf.org/aviation

“We strongly support Senator Schumer’s call for a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. Climate change threatens our health, our economy, and our children’s future – and the American people are increasingly frustrated that business-as-usual in Washington is not bringing us closer to fixing this problem. To pass effective climate legislation, and have it last, it is critically important that we have support and ideas from both parties. We need scientists, farmers, activists, investors, and inventors – and most of all, leaders with courage – to join in the search for solutions.”

• Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Political Affairs

(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – March 6, 2019) Today at the World Ocean Summit being held in Abu Dhabi, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced the launch of its Smart Boat Initiative designed to accelerate the exploration and adoption of powerful new technologies to greatly improve sustainability, efficiency and profitability in the fishing sector across the globe.

The new initiative focuses on leveraging the technological advances and plummeting costs in sensors, artificial intelligence, broadband communication and data analytics to equip and surround fishing vessels of all sizes with digital tools and infrastructure that can increase sustainability, accountability and transparency in fishing.

“Just as smart phones provided a platform for a wave of innovation, we believe there is an equally unprecedented opportunity to usher in a new era of sustainability in the global fishing sector led by digital transformation,” said Katie McGinty, Senior Vice President, EDF Oceans program.

The Smart Boat Initiative builds on important work being done by a variety of other NGOs, academic institutions, businesses and governments all focused on deploying technology in the service of sustainability. EDF’s goal is to work with these stakeholders and fishermen to demonstrate the transformative power of technology with on-the-water pilot projects, scientific inquiries and policy advances across a variety of fishery types and scales.

As part of the Smart Boat Initiative, EDF Oceans released a new report on the significant opportunities of using advanced technologies to help fisheries and fishing businesses, two new guides on how to implement electronic monitoring technology, as well as the results from recent pilot projects on the U.S. West Coast and in Mexico’s Gulf of California.

With this initiative, EDF aims to address the critical problem of fishing vessels and fleets remaining isolated and disconnected when at sea. This means accurate and timely data about what is being caught and discarded rarely reaches scientists and managers. Even on vessels with human observers or new electronic monitoring systems, data can take weeks or even months to reach the end user. Meanwhile, fishermen at sea lack access to oceanographic, market and other real-time data that could inform their choices about where and how to fish.

These problems can be addressed through a combination of existing technologies that can be deployed on fishing vessels – and around them – at a variety of scales. For example, cameras on fishing vessels can be linked to pneumatic sensors and triggered only when fishing activity occurs. These data can then be highly compressed and transmitted wirelessly through broadband satellite or near-shore wireless data services. Artificial intelligence can also recognize species and help track catch. Scientists can access these data in near real time and make far better decisions about fishery health than ever before. And fishermen will have better access to supply chains and better information out at sea.

“This new initiative seeks to deploy technology to help solve one of the most urgent challenges of our time, overfishing,” said McGinty. “A critical element of the initiative is that it aims to provide fishermen with the tools to play a leading role in solving that problem.”

Even in countries with advanced management like the U.S., fishery monitoring is conducted with outdated systems, often a human observer using pen and paper. In countries with a higher proportion of small-scale fisheries, the data information gap is even more acute. As a part of the Smart Boat Initiative, EDF is bringing together learnings from pilot programs in both commercial and artisanal fisheries that put cameras and telecommunications technology on vessels in order to track and record information to inform policy, science and management.

“In far too many fisheries, a lack of timely data frustrates even the best of intentions,” said Project Director Johanna Thomas. “But most fishermen want access to more powerful tools to take control of their futures and work together to deliver both business and conservation outcomes.”

EDF is also releasing two new guides on electronic monitoring focused on a wide variety of fishing scenarios from near-shore small-scale fisheries to larger fleets. These guides will provide insights to help develop best-in-class standards. They are designed to provide information on how best to use and scale these technologies in ways that can inform good science, work financially for fishermen and governments and produce positive conservation outcomes for fisheries.

“We believe this set of technologies represents widespread benefits, not only for future conservation, but also for fishermen today,” said McGinty.  “But without more work to refine these technologies, build them with fishermen’s needs in mind, increase deployment and share best practices, fisheries will remain stuck in the digital dark ages. That’s why we’ve launched the Smart Boat Initiative and why we’re optimistic about the future health of the ocean and all those who depend on it.”

“EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality knew air pollution was one of the unseen dangers of Hurricane Harvey, but according to news reports they deliberately chose not to use every available tool to discover it. Their rejection of NASA’s plan to fly a pollution-spotting plane over Houston after the storm is an abdication of responsibility and part of a disturbing trend of willful ignorance. Their action caused unnecessary risk to the health and safety of Texas families.”

- Elena Craft, EDF senior health scientist

As EU Environment Ministers meet today in Brussels to debate the EU’s long-term climate strategy, the powerful Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization is in Montreal, Canada finalizing carbon trading rules that could undercut progress in Europe’s flagship climate program, the EU Emissions Trading System. A decision from the ICAO Council, which includes representatives from the transport ministries of the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden, could come as early as tomorrow. 
 
“What ICAO’s Council decides in Montreal – with the participation of EU transport ministries – could set back climate progress for the EU Emissions Trading System,” said Environmental Defense Fund’s International Counsel Annie Petsonk. “The EU’s decision to include aviation in its Emissions Trading System was the impetus for ICAO’s global Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation. If CORSIA adopts weak rules and allows in bad offsets, the EU will come under pressure to accept these decisions. That would be terrible for our climate and for European leadership.”
 
Environment Ministers and the EU Parliament amended the EU ETS in 2009 to strictly limit the use of carbon credits from the Kyoto Protocol and decided in 2015 to ban the use of international credits altogether after 2020. Now weak rules in CORSIA could provide access for such credits into the EU ETS for aircraft operators if EU policy makers come under pressure to adopt policy in line with ICAO decisions.

The risk that these credits could come back into the EU ETS for aircraft operators will be heightened if ICAO’s Council allows a newly influential ICAO technical advisory body, or TAB, to operate without transparency. ICAO’s Council is convening this board to review multi-billion-dollar offset programme applications to see if they meet CORSIA’s environmental integrity rules. There is a high risk that the TAB will operate with undisclosed membership, under ambiguous guidelines, resulting in confidential recommendations. This would be a huge departure from standard EU and UN governance and transparency norms.  

“The European members of the Council have a responsibility to ensure the technical advisory body operates transparently,” said Baroness Bryony Worthington, Executive Director of Environmental Defense Fund Europe. “To do so they will have to push back strongly against forces that would shroud the process in secrecy.”
 
While ETS allowances have made a recent and unprecedented recovery – trading north of €20/tonne – because EU lawmakers adopted policies in 2015 to shore up its cornerstone climate policy, environmentally dubious credits left over from the Kyoto system don’t currently have any real market and trade below €0.50.  
 
The criteria to be agreed by the ICAO council will likely include language which precludes double counting – where an emission reduction would be counted by both the airline and the country where the reduction took place. EDF welcomes a ban on double counting, but warns that double counting can only be avoided with robust guidelines which include the necessary level of engagement and accounting by the country in which the emission reductions underlying the offset takes place.  
 
“It’s not in anyone’s interests to allow double counting into CORSIA, but if detailed rules including host party engagement and holistic accounting aren’t clearly laid out in public  guidelines then an in-principle ban isn’t good enough. European members of the ICAO Council must ensure ICAO implements a double counting ban that works” said Baroness Worthington.   

As they meet today to discuss long-term climate strategy, EU governments must not ignore the elephant in the room, namely this week’s ICAO discussions. They must maintain the integrity of CORSIA and ensure it delivers its promised emissions reductions. They can do so by:
 

1. Establishing strong transparency, with robust accounting rules that prevent double-counting between CORSIA and the Paris system
2. Excluding low-quality and inferior credits that don’t represent real climate action
3. Excluding poor-quality fuels that are produced in a way that damages the environment
4. Ensuring that CORSIA operates in the sunshine, and not through secret backroom deals
    

(PHOENIX, AZ – March 4, 2019) The Water for Arizona Coalition today lauded the state’s progress towards the completion of an interstate Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) to protect the Colorado River, noting key momentum in recent days toward finalizing the needed auxiliary agreements.

“We’ve seen encouraging momentum towards finalizing the DCP in recent days. The Phoenix City Council approved DCP-related agreements last month and we expect Tucson to take action soon. We urge all parties to continue taking the steps needed to get the DCP in place.”

• Kevin Moran, Senior Director for the Colorado River Program at Environmental Defense Fund and Chair of the Water for Arizona Coalition

“The choice of Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana to be ranking member of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis is a constructive step towards bipartisan progress on climate change. Louisiana is ground zero for both climate impacts and carbon production. Congressman Graves understands the impacts deeply and has been a leader in addressing them.

“Mr. Graves also recognizes the established science of climate change. That recognition is critical in addressing carbon emissions – the unaddressed critical component of climate policy.

“As the recent National Climate Assessment made starkly clear, we must act quickly and ambitiously to reduce climate pollution. We support the efforts of the Select Committee to elevate the awareness of climate impacts and advance solutions to this crisis. EDF is hopeful about the appointment of Rep. Graves, and looks forward to working with him and Chairwoman Kathy Castor on this effort.”

- Elizabeth Gore, EDF Senior Vice President, Political Affairs

(Denver, Colo.) Legislative leadership and Gov. Polis announced major legislation today that would address several contentious oil and gas issues Coloradans have wrestled with for years, including the role of local governments in regulating industry and how to best address risks to public health and the environment posed by oil and gas operations.

“We are hopeful that this bill will start serious conversations about improving oversight of the oil and gas industry at both the state and local levels of government,” said Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain Regional Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “Colorado has been in a running battle over these issues for far too long, without environmental concerns and the needs of local communities being adequately addressed.”

“Together, we’ve made important progress, but much remains to be done. As the Trump administration continues its effort to roll back basic regulatory protections, it is all the more critical that leading states, like Colorado, increase their commitment to minimizing the impacts of oil and gas operations on communities and our air and water resources.”

•  Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain Regional Director

“Today 52 senators voted to install a former coal lobbyist to run the Environmental Protection Agency. The senators who supported Andrew Wheeler’s nomination to lead the EPA are now responsible for his policies, which seek to undermine safeguards for clean air, clean water, and our children’s health. The real world result will be more asthma attacks, more health problems, and more pollution.  

“Unlike with some nominees, we do not have to speculate about what Mr. Wheeler will do in office. From his actions as acting-Administrator for the past 8 months, we have clear evidence of his agenda: undermine rules to limit toxic mercury, allow more smog and water pollution, and roll back protections against the threat of climate change. The senators who voted to entrust Mr. Wheeler with our environment know exactly what he will do with that power.

“The shocking fact that a long-time lobbyist for the coal industry will run the Environmental Protection Agency is all the American people need to know about the Trump administration’s attitude towards clean air and clean water. For them, the needs of polluting industries, lobbyists, and Washington insiders are more important than protecting the health of American families.”

• Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Political Affairs

“John Kasich is right that climate change is a danger to our economy and our kids’ future. As reports about his speech made clear, no political party can afford to run away from the facts, especially with so much at stake. I’m particularly pleased that Governor Kasich supports limiting pollution and using the power of the market to move us to clean energy.

“Leadership from Governor Kasich, and others in his party who are working on responsible solutions, is absolutely necessary if we’re going to solve this problem. To pass comprehensive climate legislation that is effective and durable we need support from both parties. Progressives and conservatives should both bring their best ideas forward so we can find solutions that will let us build a clean, prosperous future for our country.”

- Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

(CHICAGO, IL – Feb. 28, 2019) New legislation introduced today in Illinois would bring in billions of dollars in clean energy investments, while providing quality jobs and economic opportunities for communities throughout the state. An alliance of environmental, healthcare, consumer, business and faith leaders, known as the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, gathered today to introduce the bold clean energy legislation. The Clean Energy Jobs Act would move Illinois to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, eliminate carbon pollution from the state’s power sector by 2030 and create steps to electrify the transportation sector. The bill also includes provisions to advance equity, such as preferences for companies that implement actions to ensure equitable representation in Illinois’ clean energy workforce.

“These ambitious clean energy initiatives will help Illinois drastically cut carbon pollution and improve air quality. Moreover, the Clean Energy Jobs Act places an unprecedented focus on equity. It will spur economic development and create solid jobs in the communities that are often left out of the conversation, especially those impacted by coal-plant closures.”

• Christie Hicks, Senior Attorney, Clean Energy, EDF

Español, Français, Deutsch, Svenska

Today, members of the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation, including Environmental Defense Fund, issued a letter to members of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s powerful Council – including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden and Ireland – urging them to avoid bad aviation rules that will worsen climate change.Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. If no action is taken, carbon pollution from airplanes worldwide is expected to triple by 2050 as some 30,000 new large aircraft take to the skies. CORSIA - the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, that will launch in 2020 - has the potential to prevent 2.5 to three billion tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere over the first 15 years of the program. This potential will only be realized if countries can guarantee a transparent process and strong measures to reduce aviation emissions.

CORSIA is at a critical juncture this week: countries on the ICAO council can create a system with integrity that ensures that growth in international aviation above 2020 emissions levels is carbon-neutral – an important step in beginning to address aviation’s climate impact, or they can create a system that allows bad quality, double-counted emission credits, and secret backroom deals on program eligibility that worsen climate change. 

In its letter, ICSA urges ICAO Council members not to destroy CORSIA’s potential effectiveness and worsen the threat of global climate change. Annie Petsonk, EDF International Counsel, explains: “Dumping double-counted carbon credits into CORSIA would punch a big hole in the climate benefit of the aviation agreement – and a big hole in the climate credibility of ICAO and the airlines. It would also undercut the Paris Agreement Parties’ efforts to limit the global temperature increase to well below two degrees.”  

The letter also stresses that decisions taken in the coming weeks have the potential to help international aviation offset its emissions above 2020 levels and unleash a global market that drives investment in low-carbon economic development. This will only happen if countries on the ICAO council approve strong criteria for the eligibility of carbon offset programs, to ensure that emission reductions are not double-counted, and establish a technical advisory board, to evaluate programs and units for eligibility, that is free of conflicts of interest and operates transparently.   

“The urgency of climate action cannot be overstated, and our call to action is particularly directed at EU leaders,” said EDF’s Petsonk. “Europe has led the world on fighting climate change – EU leaders must now drive a hard bargain at ICAO to make CORSIA a success. Without high transparency standards, ICAO could become the ‘FIFA’ of the carbon markets, with environmentally dubious credits issued to airlines not actually interested in cutting emissions.”

The impetus for CORSIA was the EU’s decision to include aviation in its Emissions Trading System. If the EU lets CORSIA adopt weak rules, it could open a back door into the EU ETS for ineffective surplus leftover from the Kyoto Protocol or double-counted credits via CORSIA. This would essentially reverse EU climate action in aviation and could undermine the recent price gains in the EU ETS, which is still the world’s largest carbon market. In an analysis published by NewClimate Institute this week, German carbon market experts found that without further restrictions on offset credit eligibility, there is a real risk that CORSIA will not achieve its goals. 

By March 15, government members of the ICAO Council are expected to announce the criteria that carbon credit programs must meet in order to be eligible for use in compensating airlines’ emissions increase. This is the same day that thousands of students are expected to take to the streets worldwide for the Global Climate Strike, a movement started by Swedish student Greta Thunberg. EU governments now have the chance to stand up and prove their real commitment to act against climate change by making sure CORSIA rules deliver real emission reductions. 

 

A new crowdsourced web platform launched today aims to help sustainability professionals meet increasing demands to reduce corporate climate and chemical footprints and showcase results. The platform will fill a vital gap in sustainability departments’ capacity to stay informed on the latest resources to address environmental impacts across global supply chains.

While nearly half of Fortune 500 companies – 48 percent – have at least one climate or clean energy target, today’s sustainability professionals are tasked with reducing the impacts across their entire value chains.

The Supply Chain Solutions Center, developed by Environmental Defense Fund in collaboration with over 10 organizations, will guide sustainability professionals in their efforts to mitigate the environmental impacts of supply chains. Globally, consumer packaged goods supply chains are responsible for over 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and two-thirds of tropical deforestation.

“Our goal is to make finding sustainability solutions as easy as finding a movie on Netflix or a song on Spotify,” said Elizabeth Sturcken, managing director of EDF+Business. “Global supply chains can be massive and opaque, but when every node of the chain has a lighter footprint, the economic and environmental rewards are huge.”

The Supply Chain Solutions Center features hundreds of sustainability resources on an easily searchable interface. The website’s tools, which include case studies, templates for building sustainability plans and opportunities for connecting with NGO experts, cover six areas: agriculture, energy, chemicals, waste, forests and freight. The resources, which will be updated on a regular basis, include:

• Beginner, intermediate and advanced guides for understanding the six sustainability areas, creating a sustainability plan and achieving corporate sustainability goals.
• Case studies from companies such as Smithfield Foods, IKEA and Panera Bread Company that detail how the companies have accomplished environmental goals.
• Model corporate chemical policies for retailers, grocers or brands to show a public commitment to safer chemicals, improve supply chain transparency, cultivate informed consumers and embed safer product design.

“I commend EDF for creating a resource that provides access to meaningful information for companies to learn more about best practices and initiatives that can aid them as they seek to advance their sustainability efforts,” said Laura Phillips, senior vice president for global sustainability at Walmart, Inc. “Integrating sustainable practices into our operations and supply chain has enabled Walmart to lower costs, spur innovation, inspire customer loyalty and help reduce impact on the environment.”

Users can also take an assessment to evaluate their sustainability efforts to date in order to find the most appropriate resources and they can create tailored profiles that will suggest relevant content from verified contributors. These contributors include Conservation International, CDP, BSR, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, The Sustainability Consortium, ReFED, Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, Further with Food, Shelton Group and GreenBiz.

“TSC’s research and implementation services help suppliers measure and improve their sustainability progress. We see that many of these companies are trying to accomplish sustainability goals alone, and therefore struggle with making progress”, said Euan Murray, chief executive, The Sustainability Consortium. “The Supply Chain Solutions Center gives companies a coordinated way to collaborate with non-profits like TSC, while also accessing resources from across the industry.”

Shelton Group, a communications firm that frequently polls Americans to understand the drivers and obstacles to adopting sustainable products and behaviors worked with EDF to create the Supply Chain Solutions Center.

“We’re honored to continue our longstanding partnership with EDF, helping them make complex topics simple and overwhelming amounts of information digestible. That’s what we’ve accomplished together with the Supply Chain Solutions Center,” said Suzanne Shelton, president & CEO, Shelton Group. “Sustainability professionals now have an intuitive, easy-to-use resource where they can quickly filter and find rich content and tools related to the aspects of supply chains that they’re working on. We believe the Supply Chain Solutions Center will be an important building block in mainstreaming sustainability inside companies large and small, and we’re thrilled to have created this with EDF.”