Media Releases | WPCI Mission Statement | WPCI Symposirum, LA, USA, 23-25 Nov 2008| WPCI Hamburg 2009

World Ports Climate Initiative

• Media Releases
  * The World Ports Climate Initiative launched by IAPH (Nov 28, 2008)
  
• Mission Statement
  
• WPCI Symposium in Los Angeles, USA, 23-25 Nov 2008
  
  * Presentations made in LA
  
• WPCI Session 2009
  WPCI session was held on 18 November 2009, in conjunction with the IAPH Africa/Europe Regional Meeting/Port Forum, Hamburg, Germany, where 6 presentations were made.

On May 4, 2007, the IAPH's Second Plenary Session in Houston, USA, adopted a Resolution on Clean Air Programs for Ports, putting forth the position of the IAPH in regard to clean air programs.

(Photo through the courtesy of "MBI Media")

• IAPH reaffirms its recognition of ports’ need to adopt clean air programs to better sustain development of the global society and its commitment to promote integrated approaches in such programs;
• IAPH urges ports, members and non-members alike, to take active and effective steps towards clean air programs while stressing the critical need to develop integrated action plans for respective ports and recognizing that no one-size-fits-all solution exists for ports with their large variations in pollution level, emission sources, geographical and meteorological conditions;
• IAPH will continue to provide a unique and effective forum to share best practices and experiences among the world’s ports and various parties concerned, and will develop and disseminate guidelines, reference materials and information; and
• IAPH will collaborate further with UN agencies and other international organizations such as the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and regional Port and Trade Associations to achieve the goal of creating clean air programs thereby assisting in the abatement of global warming.

On April 16, 2008, the IAPH Board of Directors meeting in Dunkirk, France, unanimously adopted a "resloution on a world wide approach to reduce greenhouse gas emisions in ports", requesting its Port Environment Committee, in consultation with the regional Port Organizations and a number of ports, to provide a mechanism for assisting the ports with the development of measures to combat climate change, complementing and contributing to the goals of the forthcoming C40 World Ports Climate Declaration.

The C40 World Ports Climate Declaration was adopted in July 2008, as 55 ports from all over the world came together at the C40 World Ports Climate Conference in Rotterdam to commit to work jointly to reduce the threat of global climate change. At the close of that conference, it was agreed that a follow-up implementation meeting would occur in November 2008 in Los Angeles.

To initiate cooperation on implementation steps, the IAPH Port Environment Committee, in conjunction with the Port of Los Angeles, sponsored the first meeting of the World Ports Climate Initiative (WPCI). Participants discussed carbon foot printing tools and modeling, greenhouse gas reduction technologies currently being used and explored, and regional cooperation on policies and practices.

It is expected that continued progress, especially in the sharing of technical information and experiences, and developing information management