As part of both an ACORN project and her GCeCS Capstone, Gabriela analyzed the sustainability plans and public emissions reporting of twelve of the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s (NWSA) top cargo partners. The NWSA manages most of the terminals at the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma; much of their emissions are created by cargo partners, or Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCOs), as they bring their goods through the ports. Gabriela’s analysis determined which of the twelve BCOs has a strong interest in reducing their supply chain emissions. In future, this strong interest can translate to emissions reduction partnerships at the ports between NWSA and BCOs.

Written by: Gabriela Carr

I am writing this post on August 7, 2022, just after Senate Democrats reached a surprising agreement on climate legislation in the US. In covering the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, outlets like the New York Times have written pieces on emissions reduction goals, including how the Act squares up with scientific emissions targets. Overall, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends that, in order to limit warming to 1.5°C and avoid key tipping points, we must halve our emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. The Act puts the US at a 42% reduction by 2030 from a 2005 baseline, much closer to the IPCC target than we had previously been on track to reach, although we still have work ahead of us.

When I started this project last summer, however, we were not in such a hopeful moment for climate legislation in this country, and I was looking for a way to contribute to emissions reduction on a larger-than-individual scale. Eager also to work with a community partner and interested in industrialized marine affairs, I jumped at the chance to work with the NWSA through the ACORN program. While the NWSA has set a goal of net zero emissions by 2050 for port-related activities, it was searching for partnerships with locally based or powerful BCOs to help support this goal. As some of the supply chain emissions of these BCOs occur at NWSA port terminals, emissions reduction there can help achieve both NWSA and BCO goals.

What did I do?

The NWSA Air Quality & Sustainable Practices and Commercial Teams gave me a list of questions to investigate, with the main question being: what port-related emissions reduction projects are included in the climate plans of these twelve BCOs? The BCOs in question were Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ashley Furniture, Samsung Electronics, Dollar Tree, LG Group, NIKE, IKEA, Costco, and Starbucks.

I ultimately analyzed the climate goals of these BCOs by looking at both their public sustainability plans as well as their emissions disclosure reports, when available, for the not-for-profit platform CDP. Reading through these reports, I picked out port-related terms such as low/zero emissions cargo handling equipment, ocean-going vessels, and/or trucking, all of which are points of focus for NWSA. Emissions reduction plans related to these keywords were not necessarily in place at the ports, but often in a BCO’s own warehouses; this nevertheless suggested an expertise that could be applied at the ports as well.

I paid particular attention to whether corporations had emissions targets that were validated by the Science-Based Targets Initiative, a partnership that includes CDP. This focus was crucial to me in pursuing my GCeCS Capstone. My climate communication goal was to impart, particularly to the NWSA Commercial Team, the science behind science-based climate targets. Partnerships with BCOs that have aggressive science-based targets will be the most successful in helping to keep warming below that key 1.5°C threshold.

How did it go?

I presented my findings to the NWSA at the end of May 2022. I first set the stage by giving an overview of the IPCC 1.5°C Report, focusing on the tipping points that 1.5°C of warming would cause (including a sharp increase in fluvial flooding and heat-related morbidity and mortality) as well as showing how zero emissions by 2050 would avoid this. I then described my findings for each of the twelve BCOs, including their participation in emissions reduction coalitions and their use of and ranking by various independent sustainability scorecards. In conversation with my NWSA supervisor, Steve Nicholas, we had determined 5 BCOs with the greatest potential for partnership with NWSA. I highlighted Walmart, Home Depot, Dollar Tree, NIKE, and IKEA for their low/zero-emissions trucking, ocean-going vessels, and cargo handling equipment accomplishments and plans.

Prior to and after the presentation, I administered a survey to evaluate what my audience had learned. On average, they agreed or strongly agreed that they had a better understanding of the science behind emissions reductions goals, how to work with BCOs to reduce emissions, and which BCOs to work with after the presentation. Because my audience was a mix of experts in emissions reduction and relative novices, I targeted my communication at the level of those who knew the least. This was reflected in the response of one attendee, whose level of understanding in many science-related categories remained the same before and after. A favorite question of mine was open-ended, asking the audience what points of collaboration they could envision with BCOs. The presentation helped many gain a better idea of what these might be, hopefully kickstarting specific outreach to those BCOs.

Reflections and Acknowledgments

This work was both dizzyingly overwhelming and immensely gratifying at the same time. Corporate climate plans were far outside my comfort zone, but I found myself enjoying the uplifting task of finding points of productive collaboration. This project felt like a tangible connection between the science of climate change and the accomplishment of emissions reduction.

As with all research, it took many people to reach the end of this capstone. I am grateful to ACORN for organizing the project and giving me this opportunity. I know that the NWSA will make good use of my findings, and I am so thankful to them, particularly Steve Nicholas, for their support and kindness throughout the capstone. Thank you also to Dr. Miriam Bertram, Dr. Eré Aceves-Bueno, and Dr. Angela Davis-Unger for their invaluable feedback and advice during the evaluation and writing process.

Gabriela (Gabi) Carr is second-year master’s student at the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA). Her thesis used state and federal agency data to determine where septic systems, flooded by sea level rise, will impact water quality in Kitsap County later in this century. She is interested generally in urbanized marine ecosystems and their interaction with human infrastructure. In the fall, she will begin her PhD at UCLA at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, focusing on how we can improve the ability of marine infrastructure to act as habitat.