Nike and Ocean Conservancy launched the Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge today, inviting businesses and industry to join them in the commitment to not ship through the Arctic Ocean shipping routes, the company said in its release.
The Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge invites companies to commit to not intentionally send ships through this fragile Arctic ecosystem. Today’s signatories include companies Bestseller, Columbia, Gap Inc., H&M, Kering, Li & Fung, PVH Corp., and ocean carriers CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd and Mediterranean Shipping Company.
Global shipping currently accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to Germany’s or Japan’s annual emissions, but is not included in the reduction commitments made by countries in the Paris Agreement.
“The dangers of trans-Arctic shipping routes outweigh all perceived benefits and we cannot ignore the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping on our ocean,” said Janis Searles Jones, CEO of Ocean Conservancy.
The signatories understand that current impacts to the Arctic are already so severe that additional threats from increased international shipping are unacceptable. The pledge also states that signers will continue to explore ways to reduce emissions from global shipping, and thus reduce the shipping sector’s contribution to melting Arctic sea ice habitat. The signatories also support the development of precautionary Arctic shipping practices to enhance the environmental and human safety of current and potential future Arctic shipping. Ocean Conservancy is working on such rules and practices to protect the Arctic, including a ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil in this region and other strong shipping regulations such as addressing noise pollution.