Minneapolis City Council unanimously passes Ship It Zero resolution

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On Sept. 8, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a “Ship it Zero” resolution that would call on top maritime import polluters in the U.S. to commit to making all imports 100 percent zero emission ships by 2030.

The resolution makes Minneapolis the third U.S. city to pass a Ship It Zero resolution, following Los Angeles and Long Beach, Cal. The cities are calling on import polluters, including Target, Amazon, Walmart, and IKEA, to immediately adopt emission-reducing technologies such as wind-assist propulsion and to move their products off fossil-fueled ships by the end of the decade.

“This resolution calls on large retailers to abandon fossil fueled ships and transition to 100% zero-emission ships by 2030, serves to create awareness about the devastating climate impacts of the maritime shipping industry across the county, and is a first step in initiating conversations with local retailers and government partners to advocate for greater climate strategies that address the subsequent air and water pollution from these practices,” said City Council President Andrea Jenkins, Ward 8.

Minneapolis’ resolution goes further by calling for state and federal legislation or administration action to rapidly decarbonize the maritime shipping industry and to create zero-emission shipping corridors along the U.S. Coast and across the trans-Pacific trade route.

Ninety-five percent of Target’s imports pass through West Coast ports, especially Los Angeles and Long Beach. Together, the two ports are home to the largest port complex in the Western Hemisphere, responsible for 40 percent of the imports into the United States.

Retail giants IKEA and Amazon have signaled initial commitments to reduce their shipping emissions significantly by 2030. IKEA has committed to becoming “climate positive” by 2030, reducing more greenhouse gas emissions than the value chain emits, including in ocean shipping.