How Will IMPAA Impact Shipping Trade Routes?

In recent months, U.S. trade has been at the forefront for many of us. But also, for many of us, when our packages show up at our door, we often forget the journey these items take, me included. When I began working on shipping emissions, I was astonished to learn that more than 90% of global trade moves via ocean transport. As you read this, there could be more than 50,000 ships crossing the ocean or loading/unloading at ports around the world. Shipping has a major role in our economy, but it also has an equally large impact on the air we breathe, our climate and the health of our ocean. 

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Ships often run on some of the dirtiest fuels to get them from point A to point B, and they continue burning those fuels when they are docked in our ports. Think of an idling truck waiting in a parking spot—the engine is still running, and the exhaust system is pushing out those dirty black fumes into the air. For the shipping sector, vessels spew an estimated 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases every year. These dirty fumes have a huge impact on our health, our ocean and our environment. This pollution causes an estimated 250,000 premature deaths and six million childhood asthma cases globally each year—disproportionately impacting portside communities, which are often overburdened economically. According to the EPA, 39 million people in the United States live close to a port. This means more than 39 million people are directly breathing air that leads to these respiratory diseases, cardiovascular issues and other health problems. But there are solutions to these problems, and we all have the power to push them forward. 

One proposed solution is offered by the International Maritime Pollution Accountability Act (IMPAA), which was introduced in Congress by Representatives Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Kevin Mullin (D-CA) in the House and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in the Senate. This bill empowers the EPA to levy pollution fees on large marine vessels offloading cargo at U.S. ports, including a $150-per-ton maritime carbon fee and fees for emission of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides and fine particulate matter. In turn, if passed, this solution would raise an estimated $250 billion over 10 years that would provide critical funding—for instance, modernizing the Jones Act fleet, revitalizing U.S. shipbuilding, decarbonizing the maritime economy and addressing pollutants in port communities along our coasts and in the ocean. 

While there have been concerns about fees like this driving ships away from our ports, re-routing to countries like Canada and Mexico, and using trucks or rail to import goods, a new study commissioned by Ocean Conservancy examines this potential for mode shift, and the findings should ease concerns. In fact, findings indicate that in the case of IMPAA fees, the potential for ships to divert from U.S. ports is low for the majority of routes. Actually, most established routes remain economically and environmentally favorable despite these additional pollution fees. This is great news for our ports, our communities and the future of clean shipping in the U.S. With policies that work in tandem to limit emissions from ships (via the Clean Shipping Act) and charge vessels for their pollution, we can push shipping to a zero-emission future and the industry to greener practices.

We look forward to this important piece of legislation being reintroduced in this Congress. In the meantime, check out Ocean Conservancy’s action center and demand climate action that supports a clean-energy transition!

Read more from our new study here!

The post How Will IMPAA Impact Shipping Trade Routes? appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis at Our Ocean 2025

The Sea and the Butterfly

by Kim Kirim

No one told him about the water’s depth.
The white butterfly did not know how to fear the sea.

Thinking it to be a field of blue radish leaves, he floated down.
Young wings ended up pickled in the waves,
Then he returned, tired like a princess.

No flower blossomed on the sea of March’s moon. The grieving
Butterfly’s waist was cold with the pale crescent.

바다와 나비
아무도 그에게 수심(水深)을 일러 준 일이 없기에
흰 나비는 도모지 바다가 무섭지 않다.

청(靑)무우밭인가 해서 내려갔다가는
어린 날개가 물결에 절어서
공주(公主)처럼 지쳐서 돌아온다.

삼월(三月)달 바다가 꽃이 피지 않아서 서글픈
나비 허리에 새파란 초생달이 시리다

According to scholars, in the poem The Sea and the Butterfly, beloved Korean poet Kim Kirim uses the sea to illustrate the harsh reality of his times and the butterfly to express the fragility of life in the face of adversity.

As we prepare to participate in the 10^th Our Ocean Conference in Busan, Republic of Korea, from April 28-30, I like to think about this beautiful poem in a different way. A more hopeful one. 

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Just like in the poem, the ocean remains largely undiscovered, unknown. However, the science is clear and tells us that we are dealing with a triple planetary crisis. Climate change, biodiversity loss and plastic pollution represent an unprecedented threat to the ocean and life on Earth as we know it.

First, climate change. The ocean absorbs about 90% of the excess heat generated by climate change, leading to rising sea temperatures and, among other things, sea level rise due to the melting of the polar ice caps, including Arctic ice. Warmer ocean waters impact marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and fisheries. The increased CO₂, which creates warmer temperatures in the atmosphere, is absorbed by the ocean. This causes ocean acidification, which harms corals, mollusks and plankton, disrupting marine food webs. Collectively, these impacts result in a climate crisis that threatens the health of our ocean and planet 

Second, biodiversity loss. Marine biodiversity is rapidly declining due to climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution—including plastics and harmful chemicals. And these impacts extend even to the deepest parts of the ocean. The degradation of ocean ecosystems, including the mesopelagic zone or “twilight zone”—the magical middle of our ocean that is critical for carbon sequestration—impacts marine biodiversity, and has the potential of disrupting carbon capture while also threatening our global food security.

Finally, plastic pollution. Eleven million metric tons of plastic pollution enter our ocean annually, more than a garbage truck’s worth every minute. These plastics—both big and small—have now made their way to every corner of the ocean, from the surface to deepest trenches, from the Arctic to Antarctic and into the smallest to largest species of marine wildlife. These plastics are contaminating the ocean food web that produces protein for nearly 3 billion people around the globe. Further, the accumulation of lost and abandoned fishing gear or ghost gear, the deadliest form of plastics, threatens ocean health and biodiversity by entangling marine species from seabirds and sea turtles to the largest of whales.

Quite simply, we are putting too much into the ocean and taking too much out. The cumulative and intricately interlinked impacts of these triple crises we’ve created requires a global, coordinated effort if we are to safeguard our own existence. 

And then, I like to think that we can all be like the butterfly. Fearless.

We must continue working relentlessly and with a deep conviction if we are going to reverse course to avoid the worst effects of these crises and transition to a healthy future. These global issues require international cooperation, coordination and most importantly, action. Governments, civil society, private sector, general public, all must come together to address the drivers of these problems, restore what we can and assist communities in transitioning to a better future.

And we must act quickly to maximize our impact. Tackling the plastics pollution crisis is a perfect example. Plastics produce a major climate problem, and we can do something about that today. Currently, plastics drive at least 3-4% of global greenhouse gas emissions and are the fastest-growing demand for fossil fuels.  It is estimated that if plastic use keeps growing at the current rate, then by 2050, plastics will drive 20% of global oil demand—more per person than used to fuel our cars. 

Not only does plastic production drive oil and gas demand, but several studies have shown that microplastics may also be directly altering the climate by impacting cloud and sea ice formation. That’s why, when we decrease our reliance on plastics, we’re not only cleaning up our beaches, our ocean, and our air—we are also delivering meaningful and necessary impact to mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity loss.

Actions that address the plastic-pollution crisis can also protect the ecosystem services of the mesopelagic zone. A recent study showed that microplastics are present in species from the mesopelagic zone. This critical area of the ocean between 200-1000 meters under the ocean surface is critical for carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, marine biodiversity and as prey for species of commercial importance. 

This is why we at Ocean Conservancy, working with partners around the globe, are advocating for the protection of the mesopelagic zone, and the ecosystem services it provides. This includes a proposed IUCN resolution that calls for protecting this important area of the ocean.

But this is not the only topic Ocean Conservancy will be championing in Busan. Our delegation will be advancing efforts on the protection of the Central Arctic Ocean, championing the deployment of offshore wind renewable energy, sharing our expertise on actions that help stem ghost gear in the ocean, and advocating for an ambitious and comprehensive Global Plastics Treaty. 

Today, we invite you to work with us and our partners and to continue championing actions that help address the main threats facing the ocean. Let’s all be more like the butterfly in the protection of the ocean. Let’s be fearless in the face of adversity!

The post Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis at Our Ocean 2025 appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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The Latest Offshore Oil and Gas Policies that Threaten Our Ocean

Offshore oil drilling is a dirty, risky endeavor. 

The Deepwater Horizon disaster is perhaps the most dramatic example of how offshore drilling can go wrong. Fifteen years ago this month, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded approximately 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana, taking the lives of 11 oil workers and causing the release of an estimated 210 million gallons of oil into the ocean. 

Even when offshore oil operations go as planned, they harm our ocean by causing chronic water and air pollution, littering the seafloor with disused pipelines, and contributing to harmful emissions that worsen the impacts of climate change. 

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Despite these well-known risks and dangers, the administration and pro-oil members of Congress are moving swiftly to open more areas of our ocean to offshore drilling and remove regulations and policies that protect marine life, promote safety and discourage harmful greenhouse gas emissions. 

Between the speed and and volume of actions the administration has taken, it can be easy to miss the threats on offshore oil and gas drilling specifically. Let’s break it down:

On day one of his second term, President Trump moved to open vast areas of our ocean to offshore oil and gas leasing and drilling. President Trump signed two executive orders that purported to open huge swaths of our ocean to offshore oil and gas leasing, including waters off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, in the Northern Bering Sea, and in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas of the Arctic Ocean. Previous presidents had placed these areas off-limits to oil and gas leasing, and it is not clear whether the administration has the legal authority to rescind those protections.  

Following this executive action, the new Secretary of the Interior issued orders that set the stage for a series of pro-oil policy and regulatory changes. Shortly after assuming office, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued a Secretarial Order requiring agencies under his authority to develop plans to “suspend, revise, or rescind” key programs, regulations and policies. The Secretarial Order puts in jeopardy policies designed to reduce risk to marine life, decrease the government’s exposure to financial risk and increase the safety of offshore operations, including: 

• Permits that require mitigation measures designed to protect threatened and endangered species in waters where most offshore oil and gas activity takes place.
• Regulations that help ensure the owners of offshore oil and gas leases have the financial resources necessary to clean up their equipment after they finish their oil and gas operations.
• Safety regulations designed to minimize the risk of dangerous blowouts and other “loss of well control” incidents.
• The current nationwide five-year offshore leasing program that limits potential new offshore oil and gas leasing to just three lease sales between 2024 and 2029—a record low number.

Pro-oil members of Congress are also taking or considering steps to encourage and expedite offshore drilling. Because of the filibuster, a 60-vote supermajority is required to pass most legislation in the U.S. Senate. However, certain types of legislation—including the budget reconciliation process and legislation passed under the Congressional Review Act—require only a bare majority for passage. Pro-oil members of Congress are taking advantage of these special legislative processes to attempt to push through legislation that favors offshore drilling.

• Members of Congress have discussed using the budget reconciliation process to pass legislation that would require the government to hold new offshore oil and gas lease sales in specific areas of the ocean. If existing executive-branch safeguards conflict with future legislatively mandated offshore oil and gas lease sales, the legislatively mandated lease sales would likely prevail. 
• Under the Congressional Review Act, the House and Senate  passed legislation to undo a regulation that imposed a fee on emission of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—from oil and gas production facilities, including some offshore facilities. They also passed legislation to repeal Department of the Interior regulations designed to better protect archaeological resources from impacts caused by offshore oil and gas drilling. President Trump signed both bills into law in mid-March.

These actions represent real threats to our ocean, the people and marine life that depend on it and on our global climate. 

At Ocean Conservancy, we actively oppose these short-sighted and dangerous attempts to expand offshore oil drilling, remove environmental protections and reduce safety standards. The United States and the world must move away from risky and dangerous offshore drilling and toward 100% clean-ocean energy. We will continue to work with our partners, members and supporters to accelerate the phase-out of offshore oil and gas, advance responsible offshore wind and other marine renewable energy, address the root causes of climate change, and protect our ocean and the people and marine life that depend on it. Take action with Ocean Conservancy and join the movement to protect our ocean, forever and for everyone.

The post The Latest Offshore Oil and Gas Policies that Threaten Our Ocean appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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