The Port of Seattle on Tuesday (June 27) announced that it has joined the national coalition ‘We Are Still In,’ an alliance of governments, colleges, and businesses committed to meeting the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals of the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
“We are actively cutting greenhouse gas emissions from Port operations and working with our tenants to assist them in reducing their GHG emissions,” said Port Commissioner John Creighton. “Leadership to make our carbon footprint smaller is crucial to reducing the threat of global temperature rise.”
The Commission also pledged support for Climate Neutral Now, a United Nations-led initiative to drive more voluntary climate action. Airports participating in the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program are pledging to become carbon neutral and will document their progress through ACA.
“Seattle-Tacoma International Airport became the first airport in North America to be certified for reducing carbon under the Airport Carbon Accreditation program,” said Port Commissioner Fred Felleman. “Through this pledge today, we continue to demonstrate our climate leadership.”
The Port’s emission reduction goals mirror those in the Paris Agreement: a 50-percent reduction by 2030 and a 100-percent-or-more reduction by 2050, compared to 2005 emission levels.
Port of Seattle Carbon-Reduction Initiatives:
- Increased use of clean energy sources, including renewable natural gas, solar, and wind power
- Set goals to meet all growth in energy usage through conservation and renewable sources
- Conducted the first comprehensive greenhouse gas study by an airport and became the first airport in North America to be certified for reducing carbon emissions
- Installed 48 electric-vehicle charging stations in the airport garage, the most of any airport in North America
- Required taxi and rideshare drivers serving the airport to use alternative fuel vehicles or vehicles that have high-efficiency engines of 45 miles per gallon or better
- Electrified the majority of ground support equipment at Sea-Tac Airport
- Installed pre-conditioned air and electrical systems so that planes no longer have to run their engines while at the gates
- Mandated that all cruise ships and other large vessels plug into electric power or burn low-sulfur diesel while at berth
- Collaborated with the ports of Tacoma and Vancouver, BC on the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, improving air quality in the entire Salish Sea air shed
- Worked with drayage truck drivers to scrap more than 200 of the dirtiest trucks and retrofit all others with modern emissions control systems
- Implemented a new, stricter truck emissions program that will require all truckers using Port facilities to drive trucks that have 2007 truck emissions technology or better
