With a record volume of cargo moved last year, the Port of Long Beach continued to outperform goals set for air quality, according to a comprehensive annual study of emissions associated with trade activity.

The 2024 annual emissions inventory, available at polb.com/emissions, found the Port's aggressive actions to curb environmental impacts from operations have cut diesel particulates by 90%, nitrogen oxides by 68% and sulfur oxides by 98% since 2005, the baseline year which emissions are measured against. Meanwhile, cargo increased 44% between 2005 and 2024.

While the Port continues to exceed goals set in the 2010 Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) to achieve by 2023 emission reductions of 77% for diesel particulates, 59% for nitrogen oxides and 93% for sulfur oxides some categories of emissions increased in the short term, from 2023 to 2024. Year-over-year, diesel soot and nitrogen oxides rose by 23% and 12%, respectively. Sulfur oxides decreased 2%.

The primary factor impacting emissions was the record 9.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container cargo handled in 2024, 20.3% more than the prior year. Additionally, the Port included dredging boats in the inventory for the first time, which increased harbor craft emissions but provides additional transparency and accountability for port-related sources.

Since the 2017 CAAP Update, the Port has reduced diesel soot by 4%, nitrogen oxides by 27% and sulfur oxides by 21%. On a per-container basis, the Port is moving cargo cleaner than ever, with per-TEU emissions of diesel particulates reduced by 25%, nitrogen oxides 43% and sulfur oxides 39% since 2017.

Source: Port of Long Beach

 

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