Climate activists descended upon Amazon's Seattle headquarters to push the online retail giant to use boxships that are free of carbon emissions by 2030.
A dozen members of Ship It Zero Coalition, led by environmental groups Stand.earth and Pacific Environment, marched into the lobby on Tuesday with a mock shipping container emblazoned with the words "Abandon Dirty Ships!".
The group, clad in blue "Ship It Zero by 2030" t-shirts and white sailor hats, then pulled a very long petition scroll signed by 20,000 people in support of zero-carbon shipping.
Ship It Zero is also calling upon retailers Target, Ikea and Walmart to do the same.
“In the face of record profits, major retailers and their shipping companies have no excuse to not invest in cleaner ways of doing business,” said Gary Cook, Stand.earth's global climate campaigns director.
“It's time for retail shipping giants like Amazon to stop moving their products on fossil-fueled ships and commit to 100 percent zero-emissions shipping by 2030.”
Amazon declined to comment but strives to make half of its shipments carbon-free by 2030 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, according to its website.
Amazon is not alone
These retailers are among 15 companies that have released millions of tonnes of pollution while importing goods into the United States on fossil-fueled cargo ships, according to Ship It Zero’s July 2021 Shady Ships report.
Top importers of US goods have emitted as much sulfur oxide, nitrous oxide and particulate matter into the air in one year as tens of millions of US vehicles, Ship It Zero said.
"These emissions are some of the most dangerous and deadly types of air pollutants, contributing to asthma, cancer, and premature death, and increasing the mortality risk from respiratory-based illnesses like Covid-19."
Ship It Zero members also gathered at the Port of Los Angeles to hold a press conference on the urgency for cargo shipping to eliminate carbon emissions.
“San Pedro Bay Port complex communities experience eight years lower life expectancy than the Los Angeles County average, in no small part due to heavily polluting cargo ships,"
said Daniel Hamidi, Ship It Zero campaign leader with Pacific Environment.
“We call on Amazon to lead the way — not in space exploration, but in immediately protecting environmental health and justice.”
Ship It Zero made these demands at a time when the world's ports are experiencing vessel congestion brought on by Covid-19 disruption to supply chains and recovering consumer demand.
Ships waiting off LA
As of Wednesday, there were 21 boxships waiting for a berth in the Port of Los Angeles and 20 vessels at anchorage in the Port of Long Beach, according to Port of Los Angeles data.
“As the home of the busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere, it is imperative that Los Angeles lead the way in transitioning to 100% zero-emission shipping, much as we’re doing with transitioning to 100% zero-emission vehicles," Los Angeles city council member Nithya Raman said.
"I am proud to support Ship It Zero in their campaign to combat hazardous pollutants and ensure we are doing everything in our power to create healthy, breathable port communities."
