Category Archives: GHGs

EDF Goes Back To Court To Support Climate Pollution Reductions

By | Published: May 8, 2013

This commentary originally appeared on EDF's Climate 411 blog.

Another high-profile clean air case played out yesterday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

A three-judge panel heard oral arguments in a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas and some industry petitioners.

The lawsuit challenges EPA’s efforts to ensure smooth, uninterrupted permitting for large new industrial sources of climate pollution in Texas.

EDF was part of a coalition of clean air advocates that filed two briefs in the case. We filed in support of EPA, along with Conservation Law Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sierra Club.

At issue in the case are State Implementation Plans, or SIPs as they’re commonly known.

Here’s some background on the case

U.S. clean air laws require that large new industrial sources obtain construction permits providing for cost-effective modern solutions to mitigate climate pollution. The states are empowered to provide those permits – through their SIPs.

In 2010, EPA found that 13 states, including Texas, lacked the ability to carry out that requirement.

All those states except Texas worked with EPA to ensure permitting authority was in place. That allowed large new industrial sources in those states to obtain the needed construction permits.

In an August 2, 2010 letter to EPA, Texas wrote that it:

ha[d] neither the authority nor the intention of interpreting, ignoring, or amending its laws in order to compel the permitting of greenhouse gas emissions.

That brings us to the lawsuits.

Here’s a look at what happened in court yesterday

Judges Judith Rogers, David Tatel, and Brett Kavanaugh heard oral arguments.

The judges closely questioned Texas and industry petitioners about the impact of the court’s recent decision in another case that we’ve written about.

In that challenge to the Endangerment Finding, before the same court, judges upheld EPA’s first-generation climate protections.  The decision in that case said that EPA’s interpretation of the Clean Air Act was:

unambiguously correct

In light of that earlier ruling, EPA argued that its actions were necessary to ensure that sources in Texas could get permits.

That became one of the main points of discussion during oral arguments yesterday – as the judges pressed Texas and the industry petitioners to describe how EPA’s actions caused them any injury.

Read More »

Also posted in Clean Air Act, Environmental Protection Agency | Leave a comment

Largest Meeting Of Toxicologists In The World Held In Texas

By | Bio | Published: March 11, 2013

This week, San Antonio will host the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT), an organization of scientists from academic institutions, government, and industry who practice toxicology in the U.S. and abroad.

Toxicology is the study of poisons. One of the oldest adages of toxicology (from Paracelsus, who is considered the father of toxicology) is that the dose makes the poison. I’ve always found this to be one of the most interesting things about the field – that literally anything can be toxic at a high enough dose. Toxicologists examine the adverse effects of chemical, physical, or biological agents on living organisms and the ecosystem, including the prevention and amelioration of such adverse effects.

Given the number of large petrochemical and refining industries in Texas, the state is no stranger to dealing with toxics of all sorts. Over the years, emissions of toxics in the state have declined overall, but new challenges have risen, including increased drilling for natural gas and strengthened health-based standards for some pollutants. These topics and more will be covered at the upcoming toxicology meeting.

Some of the sessions most applicable for clean air policy in Texas include:

  1. Diesel and Gasoline Exhaust and Cancer
  2. Human Health and Environmental Concerns around Natural Gas Production Using Hydraulic Fracturing
  3. “Air”-ing on the Side of Caution: Anticipating Impacts of Emerging Issues in the Health Effects of Air Pollution

I look forward to learning more about the latest significant scientific achievements in toxicology and how such knowledge can enhance EDF’s work – ultimately improving the health of all Texans through better air quality advocacy.

Also posted in Air Pollution | Leave a comment

A Tribute To EPA Leader Lisa Jackson

By | Bio | Published: January 29, 2013

Source: Wikipedia

Since 2009, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has led the charge toward providing clean air protection, putting into place historic standards that will ultimately help save thousands of lives and prevent hundreds of thousands of asthma and heart attacks.

Last month, after Administrator Jackson announced that she would be leaving the Environmental Protection agency, President Barack Obama praised such actions made under her tenure:

Over the last four years, Lisa Jackson has shown an unwavering commitment to the health of our families and our children. Under her leadership, the EPA has taken sensible and important steps to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink, including implementing the first national standard for harmful mercury pollution, taking important action to combat climate change under the Clean Air Act, and playing a key role in establishing historic fuel economy standards that will save the average American family thousands of dollars at the pump, while also slashing carbon pollution.”

EDF President Fred Krupp echoed similar sentiments in a recent statement:

It has been an honor to work with Lisa Jackson. During her tenure as EPA Administrator, America has taken strides toward cleaner air, a smaller carbon footprint and a healthier environment . . . Most importantly, EPA helped set a path for us to begin to meaningfully fight climate change by completing the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, and then started us down the path towards addressing greenhouse gases by proposing carbon pollution standards for new power plants.”

Since 2010, Texas Clean Air Matters has covered many of these historic EPA successes, giving praise where genuinely due. In “Court Upholds Historic EPA Actions, Rebukes Texas' Lawsuits To Undermine Health Protections,” for example, we wrote that the ruling “underscores what we have long known — that EPA’s climate protections are firmly grounded in science and law and will help secure a healthier, more prosperous future for all Americans.” In “Court Upholds Sulfur Dioxide Standards” we hailed an appellate court decision affirming EPA’s standards, designed to protect American families from harmful, short-term sulfur dioxide (SO2) exposure.

Just last month we praised EPA in “Houston Exceeds Health Standards for Particulate Matter: More Work Ahead” for releasing new soot standards, a move that will help secure healthy air for millions of Americans, including those in Houston where existing soot levels already exceed the new limits.

As Administrator Jackson departs, we wish to thank her for the enormous strides made toward improving America’s air quality under her leadership, and to issue a call for the next administrator to earnestly continue the admirable legacy that she leaves.

We leave you with a short list of EPA’s official* clean air milestones made during Administrator Jackson’s tenure:

  • Finalizing Clean Air Standards for Industrial Boilers, Incinerators and Cement Kilns

In December 2012, EPA finalized changes in Clean Air Act standards for boilers and certain incinerators, providing important public health protections. While providing flexibility to industry for implementation, the standards will avoid up to 8,100 premature deaths, prevent 5,100 heart attacks and avert 52,00 asthma attacks per year in 2015.

  • Setting New Health-Based Standards for Fine Particle Pollution

In December 2012, EPA established the annual health standard for fine particle pollution (PM2.5), including soot, at 12 micrograms per cubic meter. Fine particle pollution can penetrate deep into the lungs and has been linked to a wide range of health effects, including premature deaths, heart attacks and strokes as well as acute bronchitis and aggravated asthma among children. Read More »

Also posted in Air Pollution, Clean Air Act, Environmental Protection Agency | Leave a comment

GHG Permitting Program Running Smoothly In Texas, Thanks To EPA

By | Bio | Published: January 22, 2013

This is the second of a two-part series on greenhouse gases and the part Texas plays.

(Source: NRDC)

Last month, we wrote about The Convention on Climate Change conference (COP18) and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in Texas, a state whose GHG emissions are comparable to those from “131 railcars worth of burning coal.”

Indeed, such emissions increasingly have the potential to threaten our way of life as the climate continues to change. Just this month, a draft report from the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee says that evidence of climate change can already be seen around the world, including Texas. According to the report, there is “strong evidence to indicate that human influence on the climate has already roughly doubled the probability of extreme heat events like the record-breaking summer of 2011 in Texas and Oklahoma.”

Because it’s been well documented that Texas contributes a disproportionate share of the nation’s GHGs when compared to other states, we welcome the news that after one year, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GHG federally implemented permit program is on its way to becoming a national model and a good starting place for Texas should the state ever regain management of the program.

Background

Under the federal Clean Air Act, states have the authority to regulate facilities that emit air pollution, including GHGs. In December 2010, after Texas refused to issue GHG permits to facilities in the state, EPA stepped in and created a federal implementation plan for GHG permits whereby facilities could apply to EPA directly for their GHG permits. Had EPA not stepped in to issue the permits, several new facilities across the state would have not been allowed to operate.

Unsurprisingly, industry leaders and even Texas officials balked at the move and filed lawsuits in retaliation. The biggest criticism was that such action would hurt business. However, since EPA began issuing GHG permits in 2011, most facilities have begun the process of reducing emissions to comply and business as usual continues.

Update

According to EPA staffers, the GHG permit program is well under way and shaping up to be a national model. The program includes agency transparency, public participation, scientific rigor and solid process. Since EPA took over the program, such elements have ensured the approval of numerous facility applications in Texas.

Another positive outcome of EPA’s management of the program has been the establishment of best emissions control technologies. EPA staffers say that a number of the approved permits could easily be considered some of the best model permits in the country. Sometimes, stronger controls are implemented than a company may have proposed on day one. Implementing this program has been a learning process and ultimately has the potential to benefit similar programs around the nation, as well as safeguarding public health through improved air quality.

The process hasn’t been perfect – the biggest issue so far has been that incomplete applications can delay the permit. EPA is working to educate applicants on the process, and delays have been reduced coming into the new year.

They said it couldn’t be done. When EPA first took over the program, critics predicted the move would shut down business. That didn’t happen. Permits are being issued. There haven’t been any closures. Facilities are up and running and bringing forward the best control technologies.

Bottom line: Companies are able to do the job they need to do while reducing harmful emissions. EPA stepped in to issue air permits when the state would not, enabling businesses to comply with federal regulations, and ultimately helping Texas to thrive economically while also doing its part to help combat climate change.

 

Also posted in Air Pollution, Clean Air Act, Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Permitting | Leave a comment

The Ultimate Texas New Year’s Resolution

By | Bio | Published: January 7, 2013

Stuck finding a good 2013 New Year’s resolution? Here’s a great one: reduce your carbon footprint. The first step in reducing your carbon footprint is to first calculate your footprint and then set a goal.

How to measure your carbon footprint

There are a number of carbon calculators that you can use to calculate your annual carbon footprint. Here are a few:

How to reduce your footprint

Once you have an inventory of your emissions, then you’ll be able to see the largest opportunities for reductions. We have listed a few of the easiest ways to reduce your footprint here:

Five tips for reducing your carbon footprint

Source: Florida Today

  1. Drive/Fly less. Some say this is close to impossible living in a freeway-dominant state that is the size of a small country. It’s easier today though than just a decade or two ago, given the convenience of increased bus routes in Houston or San Antonio, or rail lines in Dallas-Fort Worth. For short commutes, consider walking or bicycling, which offers cardio benefits as well. And let’s not let the vast states of Alaska, Idaho or Montana continue outbiking Texas (we rank pretty low compared with most other states in the nation). If the drive or flight is a must, consider carpooling or purchasing carbon offsets for your flight.
  2. Conserve energy. There are many ways to do this today. Use energy efficient light bulbs, appliances and electronics. Turn off the lights when leaving a room. Power down electric items plugged into a power strip with one flick of a button. Insulate your home. Not only do you reduce carbon emissions by conserving energy, you also come out ahead financially.
  3. Go meatless. While Texans love their meat, studies show that livestock contributes nearly 18 percent toward global greenhouse gas emissions. There’s a fairly new trend gaining ground called “Meatless Mondays,” and it means foregoing a burger or pork chop for just one day a week. Totally doable. The dual benefits include fewer emissions and improved health. If abstaining from meat once a week isn’t your thing, consider buying more locally produced food, which also contributes to reduced carbon emissions.
  4. Buy used. It’s better for the planet as well as your pocketbook. According to NARTS (National Association of Resale Professionals), resale retail is on the upswing, growing almost seven percent in the last two years. Maybe the adage is true: One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. In any case, when you purchase used items, you reduce the shipping/transportation, energy and resources that go into manufacturing new items, and thereby reduce carbon emissions. Plus, you get to brag to your friends about how much money you saved.
  5. Print double-sided. More offices are seeing the economic value of printing on both sides of a piece of paper. However, this tip should encompass all paper usage. The paper industry is the nation’s fourth largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. An article in The Daily Green offers the following additional tips: use cloth dinner napkins, shred used office paper for packaging, rediscover your local library, reuse paper bags, pay bills online, use dish towels instead of paper towels, and buy recycled paper.

You may feel that your individual efforts to reduce carbon won’t move the needle – but you’d be surprised how your actions inspire others to make changes.

In the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Take the opportunity to make 2013 a carbon-reducing and more environmentally conscious year. And good luck!

Why reduce your carbon footprint?

Greenhouse gases are heat-trapping gases, which contribute to catastrophic climate change. Among those gases, carbon dioxide (CO2) is the largest contributor. Plus, Texas leads the nation in greenhouse gas emissions, a ranking we should not be proud of and one we can do something about.

The effects of climate change include melting glaciers, more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions and an increase in the number, duration and intensity of tropical storms in others, shifting plant and animal ranges, loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise, and longer, more intense heat waves.

So, in order to reduce the carbon emissions contributing to this climate change, we continue to raise awareness and seek solutions. The science is clear. Human activities – emissions from fossil fuel combustion such as coal, oil and gas in power plants, automobiles, industrial facilities and other sources – are a leading source of these emissions. Therefore, we offer the preceding easy tips on ways to reduce your carbon emissions.

Find out more about how EDF is working to fight climate change.

EDF staffer Delia Barrack and intern Carolyn Knight contributed to this post.

Also posted in Climate change, Environment | Leave a comment

Time Is Running Out To Set Stronger Limits On Soot Pollution

By | Published: December 10, 2012

Credit: Mom's Clean Air Force

This blog post was written by Molly Rauch, and it originally appeared on the Mom's Clean Air Force blog.

On December 14, the Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to release a final standard for allowable levels of soot in ambient outdoor air. Moms Clean Air Force supporters have been speaking up since the proposed standard was released for public comment back in June, urging the agency to finalize a strong standard that will adequately protect children from the microscopic particles that lodge deep in the lungs and cause a myriad of health problems. These particles originate where fossil fuels are burned, such as in cars, trucks, and power plants.

I’ve written before about some of the ways soot affects children. But as we near December 14, I feel compelled to add even more reasons for you to help us keep the pressure on EPA.

  • Soot exposure specifically harms babies, by causing premature birth and low birth weight. Fetuses exposed to more soot are born smaller and earlier compared to fetuses exposed to less. The evidence for these adverse reproductive health effects is strong and growing stronger. A 2011 systematic review of the scientific literature examined 41 published studies on the topic and found that PM2.5 exposure was consistently associated with low birth weight, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational-age births. So, soot gets inside pregnant women’s bodies and harms our babies before they are even born. No consumer gizmo can solve this problem; no high tech HEPA-filter vacuum will fix this; no special mask to wear while behind the wheel will take this away. This is a job for big government, in the best sense of the term. EPA needs to take strong action against these invisible particles harming our future.
  • Lest you think that such effects on newborn babies don’t sound like a big deal, premature birth and low birth weight are linked to some serious health consequences. Low birth weight is a potent predictor of infant mortality as well as subsequent illnesses in infancy and childhood, such as cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness, lung disease, asthma, and cognitive development. Similarly, preterm birth is associated with infant mortality and health problems in childhood and adulthood. But the harm doesn’t stop in childhood. A growing body of evidence suggests that low birth weight and preterm birth predict several important aspects of health well beyond childhood. For example, low birth weight is associated with heart disease, heart attacks, and Type 2 diabetes among adults. It is unknown whether the low birth weight caused by soot is the same low birth weight that increases diabetes risk. But in a country like ours, where 12% of all live births are preterm and 8% of babies are low birth weight, and where these adverse birth outcomes disproportionately affect poor and non-white babies, I don’t need to wait for definitive scientific proof. Let’s take reasonable measures to continue to reduce soot exposure. We know it will improve the health of our population right now. And it just might have the added benefit of protecting infants from future chronic health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Win-win, right?
  • Soot exposure from traffic pollution is hardest on poor and minority communities. Here’s why: Traffic emissions are one of the largest sources of soot pollution in cities, and the concentration of traffic pollutants is highest near roadways. Heavily trafficked roads are basically corridors of pollution in many cities, and these are the same areas where you’ll find higher density of residences, schools, stores, and workplaces. (According to EPA, more than 45 million Americans live within 300 feet of a highway.) African Americans and low-income neighborhoods are closer to major roadways, and so they bear the brunt of this pollution. Can you say “vicious cycle”? The new soot standard will require cities to measure soot pollution near roads. There won’t be a simple fix for this kind of injustice, but taking some measurements to get a handle on the problem is a key first step. Bravo to EPA for including near-road monitors in the draft soot standard. Let’s make sure we’ll be reading about near-road monitors on December 14, when we see the final standard.
  • Limiting soot pollution helps avert climate chaos, ensuring a healthier future for our children, our children’s children, and beyond. Black carbon, the main component of soot, is a significant climate forcer. This means that it absorbs sunlight, increasing the heat-trapping qualities of our atmosphere and raising temperatures. An important quality of black carbon is its short lifespan. It stays in the atmosphere for 1-4 weeks as opposed to centuries, as is the case with carbon dioxide. This means that reductions in emissions of black carbon would have immediate climate benefits. Less soot means less asthma and stroke and heart disease – but it also means less black carbon, and therefore less climate change, which is no small threat to our health. Air pollution and climate chaos go hand in hand. Improving one helps the other.

Also posted in Air Pollution, Environmental Protection Agency, PM2.5, Soot | Leave a comment

COP18: Why Texas Should Care About Climate Change

By | Bio | Published: December 4, 2012

Credit: www.globalpost.com

This is the first of a two-part series on greenhouse gases and the part Texas plays.

This week wraps up COP18, “The Convention on Climate Change” conference held in Doha, Qatar this year. COP18 gets its name from the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The conference sets a framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the world’s increasing carbon emissions. As we know, Texas, as the largest state in the 48 contiguous United States, also leads the nation in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

Because Texas plays such a large part in the problem, we also have an opportunity to also play a large part in the solution.

COP18 Background
Countries from around the world joined an international treaty in 1992 called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, with the goal of finding ways they could collectively limit average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change.

Realizing that proposed emissions reductions were inadequate by 1995, they adopted the Kyoto Protocol, which legally binds developed countries to emission reduction targets. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing GHGs. Countries that ratified the treaty committed to an average of five percent reduction against 1990 levels over the five-year period from 2008 to 2012. Talks this year will determine the length of the next commitment period, which begins in 2013.

The overall objective of the COP18 conference is to achieve "… stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."

Over the years you may have heard about these talks in Kyoto, Durban and now Doha. You might also be somewhat aware of climate change and the dangers it presents. What you may not know however is that GHGs continue to climb and there is mounting concern that current efforts are simply not enough.

Just this week The New York Times covered a World Bank report finding that global emissions of carbon dioxide were at a record high last year and that, “emissions continue to grow so rapidly that an international goal of limiting the ultimate warming of the planet to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, established three years ago, is on the verge of becoming unattainable,” according to researchers with the Global Carbon Project.

Consequently, Texas, as good global citizens, must work to reduce the emissions contributing to climate change. After analyzing data from more than 6,700 industrial facilities releasing at least 25,000 tons of GHGs per year, the Environmental Protection Agency described our state’s emissions as “comparable to the emissions from burning 131 railcars of coal.”

The good news is that there is a plan. Stay tuned for the second blog in this series, which will review actions taken by EPA to help Texas curb carbon pollution.

Also posted in Climate change, Environmental Protection Agency | Leave a comment

Making The Case For Common Environmental Performance Metrics At Our Nation’s Ports

By | Bio | Published: October 24, 2012

Update- See the reports from the workshop here.

Many of our nation’s ports are in highly congested areas that don’t meet federal air quality standards. While opportunities abound for new, creative ways of reducing pollution and protecting public health in these port communities, one promising way includes working toward better measurement of activity, equipment, and emissions. Through goal-setting, benchmarking and periodic evaluation, ports become better equipped to make significant strides in their emissions reduction efforts.

Along those lines, EDF co-sponsored a workshop this month with the American Association of Port Authorities to engage and share best practices with those seeking ways to reduce port emissions through the development of common environment performance metrics. While some ports exercise certain metrics, there is room for improvement in terms of a holistic and standardized metrics system, especially as port customers increasingly request adoption of such metrics to improve port operational efficiencies.

In addition to reducing criteria pollutant emissions and protecting public health, competitive global businesses, port authorities and communities, environmentalists and other stakeholders consider better measurement a worthy undertaking because these efforts also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve supply chain sustainability; reduce costs and transit times for shippers and carriers; and enable ports to better accommodate increases in throughput through efficiency and technology improvements.

Key Metrics
A few of the key metrics that EDF would like to see implemented at ports involve truck registries, ship indices, and more SmartWay participation.

  • Truck registries provide a foundation for better tracking of port dray operations. At our workshop, we discovered that the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) offers – for free – a tool that assists ports in tracking mandated or voluntary compliance with various Clean Truck Programs. IANA’s Intermodal Tractor Registry provides a registration point for UIIA Licensed Motor Carriers to provide tractor/truck information on behalf of their company drivers or owner operators. Currently, the Registry houses more than 200,000 drayage tractors, representing nearly 3,000 motor carriers.
  • An Environmental Ship Index (ESI) is a scoring system for assessing a ship’s emissions performance. As businesses continue to implement corporate sustainability goals, the transportation sector becomes an opportunity to secure emissions reductions. Therefore, ships with less polluting engines get increasing attention from those looking to reduce emissions.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership helps freight companies improve fuel efficiency, increase environmental performance, and increase supply chain sustainability. During our workshop, EPA representatives outlined the value of SmartWay participation at ports, stating that the established program is becoming the industry standard. They also discussed how the innovative strategy addresses marketplace needs and challenges through voluntary and market-based incentives, and a simple, no-cost participation process.

Characteristics of Useful Metrics
Not all metrics are created equal. The best environmental performance metrics for ports have common characteristics as they:

  • Promote internal and external transparency;
  • Show return on investment for operational/technology investments;
  • Include some degree of auditing/validation;
  • Are standardized within industry with a broad level of acceptance;
  • Level the playing field when it comes to evaluating environmental performance;
  • Complement existing efforts such as SmartWay, clean truck programs, emissions inventories, ECA/fuel switching, and clean air strategies; and
  • Include and benefit shippers, carriers, MTOs, community and other port stakeholders.

We were encouraged by the level of engagement at this month’s workshop and look forward to future collaborative efforts toward development of common and transparent environment performance metrics, as they will certainly play a crucial role in reducing port emissions.


Also posted in Ports, SmartWay | Leave a comment

How To Stay Clean In A Dirty World: A Vision For A Smarter, Healthier Supply Chain

By | Bio | Published: October 3, 2012

Most large corporations know that their supply chains are now visible. When a factory explosion in China impacts parts shipments to Apple in the United States, for example, it makes the news. Also, as consumers become more informed, potential for brand loyalty increases for those organizations reducing their harmful emissions and their carbon footprints through more efficient, money-saving supply chain management.

Bottom line? Staying clean is not only healthier, it’s smarter for business. Earlier this week at a Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals conference, I explained more about this concept and suggested steps toward improving goods movement operations.

Why It Matters

Freight emissions are growing rapidly.

Freight transport is the single largest source of corporate carbon emissions, accounting for 15 percent of all emissions. In the U.S. alone, emissions from freight have been projected to increase 74 percent from 2005 to 2035. China is expected to increase its use of freight transportation fuels by 4.5 percent per year from 2008 to 2035. Over the coming decades, freight transport will be among the fastest-growing source of emissions, projected to increase 40 percent globally.

Retailers and other manufacturers exercise significant control over the environmental footprint of supply chain logistics operations. Their decisions on where products are made and stored, how they are designed and packaged, and how much time is allotted for transit have a tremendous impact on carbon and other air pollutants and cost efficiency.

These shippers have the most to gain from an increasingly cleaner and cost-efficient freight system and they can reap the greatest financial rewards from increasing efficiency. On top of that, public perception improves from an organizational “good environmental steward” image, increasing the brand loyalty odds in your favor.

Five Principles For Improving Supply Chain Efficiency And Sustainability 

EDF created five principles shippers can follow to enable a less polluting, more carbon-efficient freight supply chain. These are based on documented case studies in our Smart Moves report, which shows how new technology and thinking are unlocking a raft of previously unattainable economic and environmental efficiencies in the vast commercial shipping industry.

  1. Support “Hot Spot” Clean Up. Older diesel equipment without the most modern emission controls release emissions that are hazardous to human health. In fact, the World Health Organization recently declared that diesel emissions can cause cancer in humans. People who live or work near logistics hubs, such as ports and rail yards are exposed to higher levels of these emissions, and are thus at higher risk for harmful health outcomes. As these emissions are generated by the demand for freight, shippers are increasingly being held responsible for cleaning-up “hot spots” of diesel pollution. One way for shippers to make a difference is to support the adoption of cleaner equipment in these hot spots.
  2.  Choose the most carbon-efficient mode possible.  Different modes of transportation emit different amounts of carbon per ton-mile. Planes, for instance, emit 47 times more than container ships, and trucks emit six times more than trains. Clearly differentiating cargo that needs to be expedited from that which doesn’t is step one in a carbon-efficient supply chain.
  3. Collaborate with other shippers. Are there opportunities to merge your warehouses and distribution assets with other companies? Ship products directly to the client and avoid warehousing altogether? Match “back-haul” lanes with other shippers to improve efficiency? All of these strategies are being used successfully in today’s retail industry.
  4. Redesign your own network for efficiency. New logistics tools can help to optimize warehouse locations, shipping routes, and modal connections.
  5. Get the most out of each move. Set goals for trailer utilization, look for new ways to combine loads, and use the best new software to optimize orders. Redesigning and consolidating packaging can also increase utilization while decreasing damage.

Increasing Sustainability While Cutting Costs

In the near term, the principles outlined above have significant cost and emissions reduction potential. Collaboration alone has been projected to be able to cut emissions 30 percent while reducing costs by 25 percent. Mode shifting and improved container utilization combined can cut tens of millions of metric tons of emissions from the U.S. freight system each year.

EDF believes that it is vital for shippers to lead the way to freight sustainability. A key way to participate is by adopting freight-specific goals as part of an organization’s sustainability objectives. Here’s a suggestion: Sit down with your logistics team and explore the possibilities:

  • Can you improve carbon-efficiency by ton-mile by 25 percent over the next five years?
  • Can you double or triple the percentage of your goods that use intermodal transit?
  • Are you able to work with your partners in ports to support that rapid turnover of heavy-polluting trucks and other equipment?

The dramatic growth in goods movement clearly presents major challenges in efforts to minimize the effects of global climate change and lessen widespread harm to public health. However, it is possible to significantly reduce freight emissions from today’s levels, while continuing to grow our economy while improving the cost-efficiency of freight transport.

Also posted in Air Pollution, Goods Movement | Leave a comment

Texas Teen Tackles Air Pollution, Wins

By | Published: September 4, 2012

This is a cross-post from Imatter, written by Eamon Umphress, a 16-year-old Texas resident.


Most 16-year-olds I know, including me, are interested in getting a job, a car, buying clothes and hanging out with friends, not saving the world. But I was given an opportunity to do just that.

In 2011, at age 15, I became part of a groundbreaking legal effort to protect the atmosphere for future generations, to ensure that we have a planet when we grow up. I became part of the iMatter/Our Children’s Trust legal action along with kids from 49 other states petitioning their state and federal government to protect the atmosphere from damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions.  We used an ancient legal concept called the “public trust doctrine.”  The doctrine is based on the idea that the government has an obligation to protect things that the community relies on, like water. But it has never been applied to the atmosphere before.

That’s because no one ever thought it needed protecting. Even in my short time on the planet, I’ve noticed a change in the climate. The hottest years in a century have happened in the last 10 years. Last summer was the hottest on record in Austin with over 90 days having temperatures above 100 degrees. And the projections for my beautiful green city are that by 2050, our climate will resemble the Sonoran desert.

But never could I have imagined that this lawsuit would have any real life impact. The idea even seemed a little far-fetched to me – suing the government to protect the atmosphere? I didn’t really give the effort much chance of success, but I thought it was important enough to give it a try, even if it seemed likely to fail. 



Part of what convinced me to do this was all the air alerts that warn old people and children to stay inside. It made me wonder if it was always like this. Did kids and grandparents always have to stay inside to protect their lungs? It was clear that something bad was happening to the air. . . you could even see the increasing amount of smog on the skyline. I was thinking someone had to do something about all the pollution going into the atmosphere, so I decided I would, because if I didn’t, who would? Someone had to do something. So I was really surprised when I learned that the judge said that the public trust doctrine must apply to all natural resources. The state had said it only applied to water, but the judge disagreed and broadened it.

The amazing thing is that the legal breakthrough happened in Texas, a state with a reputation for conservative judges and weak environmental laws. It really showed me that if you want something to happen, and you step up and make the effort, it just might.
A lot of kids my age feel like there isn't much they can do to make a difference on an individual scale. But I did. So you can too.

Imatter is a youth-led organization advocating for real solutions to climate change.

Also posted in Air Pollution | 1 Response