Activists stage mock Amazon Career Fair at University of Washington to spotlight company’s climate and labor failures

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SEATTLE (Traditional Puget Sound Salish and Duwamish Lands) —  As Amazon continues its aggressive recruitment efforts at the University of Washington (UW), a coalition of climate and labor activists – including Stand.earth, the University of Washington Institutional Climate Action, and Troublemakers, with support from Pacific Environment’s Ship It Zero campaign – hosted a satirical “Amazon … Read more

Clean air victory: New rule will curb deadly pollution from Southern California railyards — ports should be next.

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This month, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) Headquarters was packed with about 100 clean air advocates in attendance, who erupted in cheers as the South Coast AQMD’s governing board voted unanimously to adopt the Railyard Indirect Source Rule (ISR). A big win for clean air, the facility-based measure aims to reduce harmful … Read more

Hydrogen-fueled passenger ferry makes history in San Francisco

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On a perfect San Francisco morning on July 12, history was made. The world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger ferry, the Sea Change, made its inaugural sail from the San Francisco Ferry Building to Pier 41 near Fisherman’s Wharf. The vessel will ferry people the 1.2 nautical miles three times a week for free: a short trip, … Read more

Biden Administration Sets National Goal of Zero-Emissions Freight Sector Including Maritime

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On April 24, the Biden administration announced its first-ever national goal to transition the U.S. to a zero-emissions freight sector (i.e., truck, rail, aviation, and maritime), as well as a commitment to develop a national zero-emissions freight strategy. The whole-of-government strategy includes new federal funding, continued engagement with stakeholders on zero-emissions freight infrastructure and forthcoming … Read more

EPA: Approve life-saving protections and safeguard California’s health and air quality!

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In a victory for people and climate, the California Air Resources Board amended the Commercial Harbor Craft Rule in 2022, setting the first zero-emissions mandate for ferries in the U.S and requiring cleaner engine upgrades for tugboats and other regulated vessels. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has yet to approve these lifesaving amendments. … Read more

Pacific Environment Announces New Executive Director

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Pacific Environment welcomes Shannon Wright as its new Executive Director, effective Jan. 2, 2024. Ms. Wright’s background in international campaigning and her proven track record as a non-profit leader make her the perfect fit for Pacific Environment, an organization with a 30-year history of work supporting and partnering with communities and cultures to protect natural … Read more

With an Executive Order President Biden can take meaningful action to eliminate shipping emissions and advance environmental justice

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WASHINGTON, DC [September 28, 2023] — In a letter sent to President Biden on World Maritime Day, 45 organizations called for an Executive Order to decarbonize maritime shipping. The Biden administration has already made significant commitments to eliminate emissions from the shipping industry, as well as to accelerate the development of zero-emission fuels and technologies … Read more

UN agrees on a new climate plan for global shipping, but not 1.5°C aligned

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Civil society groups are deeply concerned by the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) failure to firmly align global shipping with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature-warming limit, at the 80th Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting (MEPC 80) this week. The IMO’s 175 member states failed to agree on absolute emission reduction targets for 2030 and 2040, … Read more

Last chance to prevent shipping breach of Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature limit

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Civil society groups are deeply concerned about developments at the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) climate negotiations this week (ISWG-GHG-15), in particular regarding the 2030 and 2040 climate targets that are necessary to put global shipping on a 1.5°C-aligned transition and ensure an equitable transition. The IMO’s 175 member states must urgently listen to climate … Read more

Fuel Production Stakeholders Call for Ambitious Shipping Decarbonisation Policies

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A group of fuel production stakeholders, including H2Carrier and MAN Energy Solutions, today joined Environmental Defense Fund in support for the full decarbonisation of the shipping industry by 2050. The companies call on International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member States to develop policies that incentivize the production and adoption of sustainable fuels, and to adopt ambitious interim targets … Read more

On World Oceans Day, Whitehouse and Padilla Introduce Pair of Bills to Reduce Ocean Shipping Emissions

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Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) today introduced a pair of bills aimed at reducing air pollution created by the global shipping industry.  Whitehouse introduced the International Maritime Pollution Accountability Act, new legislation aiming to decarbonize the emissions-heavy maritime shipping industry, prevent the release of criteria air pollutants in port … Read more

The Global Plastics Treaty negotiations ended on a precarious note

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Paris, France (June 2, 2023) – The second meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) for a global agreement to end plastic pollution concluded today at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, with civil society organizations appealing to governments not to allow the use of dilatory tactics and procedural questions to set back progress and lower … Read more

New report calls for at least 75% reduction of plastics by 2050, reveals dire connection between plastic and climate

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In honor of International Plastic Free Day and ahead of the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, Pacific Environment has released a report that underscores the serious threats of plastic pollution, and presents a new global model showing how the plastics and petrochemical industries will need to change in order to stay within the 1.5 degree Celsius … Read more

US Ambassador Emanuel touts LNG false solutions, ignores climate crisis

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U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel Tuesday continued to tout the benefits of the proposed North Slope-to-tidewater gas pipeline and LNG export project, contrary to the Biden administration’s commitment to align its actions with a 1.5 °C pathway.  Ambassador Emanuel took the stage during Governor Dunleavy’s Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference.  “To push the Alaska gas … Read more

Stemming the Plastic-Climate Crisis

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In honor of International Plastic Free Day and ahead of the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, Pacific Environment has released a report that underscores the serious threats of plastic pollution, and presents a new global model showing how the plastics and petrochemical industries will need to change in order to stay within the 1.5 degree Celsius … Read more

Biden Administration Approves Climate Warming Oil Project Despite Overwhelming Opposition

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Today, the Biden administration approved ConocoPhillips’ Willow project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, despite the 4.5 million comments received from Americans calling to reject this climate harming project. The Record of Decision approves the development of Alternative E, as described in the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. The ROD denied two of the five drill … Read more

Pacific Environment Applauds Historic Oceans Treaty

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United Nations conference chair and Singapore’s Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues Rena Lee announced a historic international treaty to protect the high seas, which covers nearly half the planet. This deal is seen as vital to conserving 30% of the world’s lands and ocean by 2020, as agreed to by about 190 … Read more

UN Shipping Agency Inches Towards 2030 Emission Reduction Goal

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This week’s round of technical talks at the UN’s maritime regulator showed countries are prepared to phase out shipping emissions by 2050. More crucially, support appears to be building for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to also adopt an ambitious 2030 interim target for cutting emissions from ships. On the question of strengthening the 2050 … Read more

State of California Signals Need for Additional Measures to Tackle Toxic Pollution for Ocean-Going Vessels

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​​​​​​​ Today, California’s chief climate and air pollution regulator released a report on the status of the state’s world-first regulation to end in-port pollution from fossil fuel vessels. The report by California Air Resources Board (CARB) shows the continued success of the state’s in-port pollution regulation in protecting California port and coastal communities from significant … Read more