Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment
International Environmental Prize to be Awarded in Future in Hamburg
City Mayor Ole von Beust, City Senator for the Environment Anja Hajduk and Foundation President Anthony S. Papadimitriou announced the future awarding of “Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment”, speaking at Hamburg City Hall. The prize is endowed by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation and is to be awarded in Hamburg every two years for “outstanding contributions towards protecting and improving the environment, including the long-term economical use of energy”. The first award will be in autumn 2010, and the prize may be given to individuals or organisations of all kinds, other than politicians or political parties. It is one of the highest-endowed environmental prizes in the world, carrying an award of EUR 250,000.
City Mayor Ole von Beust: “Our efforts to protect the climate, resources and the environment are increasingly respected, including outside Germany. With the “Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment”, we are now seeing a major international environmental prize coming to Hamburg for the first time. The internationally-constituted nominations committee under the chairmanship of City Senator for Urban Development and the Environment Anja Hajduk is outstanding, from the Hamburg viewpoint, in recruiting Dr. Michael Otto and ‘ZEIT’ journalist Christiane Grefe alongside international scientists.”
City Senator Anja Hajduk: “In view of the massive challenges of climate change and in environmental policy, the “Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment” comes at just the right time. It aims to publicise outstanding research and projects in this area and to offer solutions. The new environmental prize will be a further advertisement for Hamburg’s competence in relation to protection of the environment and the climate.”
Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation: “The Onassis Foundation and the City of Hamburg share a bond which goes back to the period when the undisputed leading shipping personality of the 20th century, Aristotle Onassis, was expanding his business. Among his pioneering initiatives in the early 1950s has been the order for the construction of a series of tankers in German shipyards, thus offering this industry the significant opportunity for revival and growth. In present time, both the Onassis Foundation and the City of Hamburg share as a priority the concern for major issues concerning the protection of the environment. For those reasons, we were already looking at Hamburg as a potentially suitable venue for the awarding of the “Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment”. What rapidly convinced us were the major efforts being made by Hamburg to link together urban development, climate and environmental protection. Our prize is genuinely at home here.”
The Awarding Committee comprises a total of nine people, under the chairpersonship of Senator Anja Hajduk. Members are: Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, Christiane Grefe, journalist (DIE ZEIT), Prof. Peter Koutrakis, Professor of Environmental Sciences at Harvard University (USA), Prof. Dr. Mojib Latif, Professor at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences at Kiel University, Dr. Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Hamburg retail and services group Otto, Prof. Dr. Michael J. Skoullos, Professor of Environmental Chemistry at Athens University, Christine von Weizsacker, biologist; awarded the Kant-World-Citizen-Prize 2006. A ninth member is to be announced shortly.
The commitment to the environment underpinning the Foundation is also a guiding principle for the Onassis shipping company. The company fleet consists entirely of dual-hulled tankers. The company is currently working on using more energy-saving propulsion mechanisms.
Source: Onassis Foundation
Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution
“Emission Control Area” Means Healthier Air for Millions of Americans
A new report finds that more than 87 million Americans live in port areas that are not meeting federal health-based air quality standards. The report, Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution, documents the public health effects associated with air pollution from global shipping, including container ships, tankers, cruise ships, and bulk carriers. The report, released by the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, National Association of Clean Air Agencies, and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, is available online at: www.edf.org/documents/9466_ECA_report_March2009.pdf.
The coalition strongly encourages and supports action by the U.S. government that to apply to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the establishment of an Emission Control Area: an area where rigorous pollution limits apply to global shipping activity. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will announce the U.S. application to the IMO during a noon news conference today in Port Newark, NJ. Foreign-flagged vessels make 90 percent of the ship calls on U.S. ports. Leading researchers estimate that shipping pollution is associated with 60,000 global deaths annually. EPA’s Analysis shows that the establishment of an Emission Control Area could dramatically reduce lethal particulate pollution in U.S. coastal communities.
COALITION STATEMENTS
Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO: “In my career as a U.S. Navy Captain, I saw firsthand the staggering amounts of pollution that cruise ships, container ships, tankers and other ocean-going vessels released into the atmosphere. These ships dock at more than 100 ports along our coastline and along navigable waterways far inland. Their smog- and soot-forming emissions threaten the health of those living far from our nation’s maritime ports.”
Statement of Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund: “The dangerous air pollution from these floating smokestacks is a serious health threat to tens of millions of Americans who live and work in port cities. Cleaning up these big ships will chart a course for cleaner air and healthier communities.”
Statement of Bill Becker, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Air Agencies: “These big ships are big emitters. We need all hands on deck to help state and local air pollution control officials reduce the pollution from global shipping and restore healthier air in our communities.”
Statement of Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency: “Approval of an Emission Control Area for the coasts of North America at the earliest possible date will save hundreds of lives across the U.S. and Canada. In the Pacific Northwest, ocean-going ships travel hundreds of miles inland before reaching the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma and we will see significant air quality improvements in a wide area of Washington State when an ECA is put in place.”
BACKGROUND
An Emission Control Area, or ECA, would provide the strongest clean air standards available under international law. It would dramatically improve fuel quality and reduce smog-forming oxides of nitrogen for all ocean-going ships in the exclusive economic zone of the United States, an area that typically extends about 200 nautical miles from the coast. To secure these vital protections, the U.S. government must submit an application to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) demonstrating the need to prevent, reduce and control global shipping emissions. The IMO would review the application at its July meeting and take final action on the U.S. request in 2010.
Container ships, tankers and the other large sea-going vessels that dock at more than 100 U.S. port cities burn low grade “residual fuel” or “bunker fuel” that is a major source of air pollution, including the formation of particulate pollution. Residual fuel contains sulfur levels 1,800 times greater than U.S. law allows for other diesel engines. A recent study by two leading researchers on shipping pollution, Corbett and Winebrake, shows shipping-related particulate pollution contributes to approximately 60,000 global deaths annually, with impacts concentrated in coastal regions on major trade routes.
In October 2008, the IMO, with active participation from the U.S. government, adopted new baseline global emission standards for ocean-going ships and their fuel. The IMO also provided for more rigorous, heightened protections in designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs). The fuel used to power these ships currently contains about 27,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur. In an ECA, the sulfur in fuel will be limited to 10,000 ppm in August 2012 and then to 1,000 ppm in January 2015.
Within an ECA, ships must also achieve an 80 percent reduction in smog-forming oxides of nitrogen starting in 2016.
EPA air quality analyses shows the pollution reductions required in an ECA will reduce exposure to lethal particulate pollution for millions of Americans.
Ocean-going ships contribute to unhealthy air quality across the United States. According to EPA, in 2001, these large ships emitted approximately:
- 745,000 tons of smog-forming oxides of nitrogen, a precursor to ground-level ozone. Ozone can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function in addition to other health effects;
- 450,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, a key contributor to acid rain that can also be transformed into lethal particulate matter; and
- 54,000 tons of fine particulates, microscopic sized particles, which can be breathed deep into the lungs, bypassing the body’s defense systems. They are implicated in thousands of premature deaths each year. Other harmful health effects also result from breathing fine particulates.
Ocean-going ships are also responsible for about 3 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas pollution.
American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. The American Lung Association is “Fighting for Air” through research, education and advocacy. For more information, visit www.lungusa.org.
Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.
National Association of Clean Air Agencies comprises the air pollution control agencies in 53 states and territories and over 165 metropolitan areas across the country. NACAA’s members have primary responsibility for ensuring that everyone in our nation breathes clean, healthful air. For more information, visit www.4cleanair.org.
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is the regional air quality agency for the area including the major container ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. We work together the clean the air we breathe and protect our climate through education, incentives and enforcement. For more information, visit www.pscleanair.org.
Source: Environmental Defense Fund
New Diesel Vehicle Idling Restrictions Will Keep Air Cleaner, Reduce Fuel Consumption
Most Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles Can Only Idle Engines for 5 Minutes per Hour
Pennsylvanians — particularly those vulnerable to air pollution such as children and the elderly — will breathe easier, thanks to a new measure taking effect today that limits engine idling by heavy-duty diesel vehicles.
Governor Edward G. Rendell signed the Diesel-Powered Motor Vehicle Idling Act (Act 124) on Oct. 9. The law restricts heavy-duty diesel vehicles from idling more than five minutes per hour.
Truck and bus drivers often idle their engines during rest periods to heat or cool their sleeper compartment, to keep the engine warm during cold weather, and to provide electrical power for their appliances.
Acting Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger added that the new restrictions will save the owners of these vehicles billions of dollars a year while also reducing Pennsylvania’s dependence on foreign oil.
“Idling of these heavy-duty engines produces large quantities of dangerous air pollutants that can be particularly harmful to young children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis,” said Hanger. “Across the nation, these vehicles consume 1 billion gallons of fuel annually by idling their engines. This new law will protect the health of our citizens, reduce our reliance on imported oil, and drive the adoption of new technologies to meet our nation’s transportation needs.”
Each year, heavy-duty trucks in Pennsylvania emit about 3,200 tons of nitrogen oxides, a pre-cursor of smog and ground-level ozone; 210,000 tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas linked to climate change; and 65 tons of fine particulate matter by burning diesel fuel while idling.
Act 124 applies to diesel-powered motor vehicles engaged in commerce with a gross weight of 10,001 pounds or more that are not specifically exempted. Most trucks and buses are subject to the act, though farm-related equipment and vehicles are exempt.
Trucks with sleeper berths are exempted during times of low and high temperatures until May 1, 2010, providing a reasonable amount of time for truckers to make alternative arrangements for sleeping, such as using an electrified truck-stop parking space or buying equipment that provides power without idling.
“There are affordable alternatives to idling, and I encourage all vehicle operators to take advantage of them to help Pennsylvanians breather easier and to save themselves money, too,” Hanger said. “At current prices, drivers are spending $2.4 billion a year nationally on fuel just for idling. In May, when diesel prices hit record highs, that figure would have been almost $5 billion.”
The simplest way to reduce idling is to turn off the vehicle. Modern diesel engines do not require long warm-up or cool-down periods or constant idling in order to operate efficiently. The most common alternatives to idling are auxiliary power systems and stationary idle reduction technologies.
Auxiliary power systems are devices installed on vehicles to provide electric power. Stationary idle reduction technology provides some type of plug-in system at locations where vehicles park.
The DEP’s Small Business Advantage Grant program has invested more than $1 million on top of the nearly $2 million truck owners and operators have spent to purchase 238 auxiliary power systems. For more information on this program, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: SBAdvantage.
Other investments by the commonwealth, in conjunction with those by private enterprises, have made 11 truck-stop electrifications systems available across the state. For an online map of system locations, visit www.idleaire.com and click on “Locations.”
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection