Spotlight on Sustainable Initiatives
Environmental concerns continue to top the list of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report in terms of likelihood and impact for the next decade.
The 2021 report states that the highest likelihood risks over the next ten years will be extreme weather, a failure to fight climate change and human-led environmental damage.
Within the report’s executive summary, the World Economic Forum says that a shift towards greener economies cannot be delayed until the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic subside.
From speaking to those involved in the ports and terminals industry, sustainability and decarbonisation goals have not been pushed aside because of the impact of COVID-19 on the industry.
The Port of Los Angeles excels in 2020 despite disruption
The Port of Los Angeles, the USA’s busiest container port moved 9.2 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in 2020, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka announced at the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association’s sixth annual State of the Port of Los Angeles – a virtual event this year.
A late-year surge of pandemic-induced consumer spending helped boost volumes to near 2019 levels, making 2020 the fourth highest-volume year in the Port’s history.
“Our container business in 2020 was the most erratic we have ever seen, with volumes plunging nearly 19% in the first five months of the year, followed by an unprecedented second-half surge,” Seroka said. “Our ILWU longshore workforce did a great job adapting to the huge swings in volume, as did port truckers and everyone else involved in moving cargo through our Port. In a year of great difficulty, we are extremely grateful for the tenacity a