Panama Canal Aims to Spur Emissions Reductions
A new Emissions Calculator tool will offer shippers assessments of their carbon emissions, rank those who have reduced the most emissions by transiting the Panama Canal versus alternate routes and encourage action to reduce carbon footprints.
“The Panama Canal has always been committed to reducing its carbon footprint and impact on the environment,” said Panama Canal Administrator Jorge L. Quijano. “This new tool allows us to bring that same commitment to our customers, giving them the information needed to make a more informed and environmentally conscious decision when planning their routes.”
Panama Canal Environmental Specialist Alexis Rodriguez explained that the Emissions Calculator will work by leveraging technology already aboard the world’s maritime fleet to capture an array of data on shippers (e.g. vessel type, size, capacity, speed, fuel consumption and route) and provide the most accurate measurement of the GHG they emit, including the total emissions saved by choosing the Panama Canal over other routes. Data will then be centralized in the CO2 Emissions Reduction Ranking, a specially designed platform which ranks customers by those with the fewest emissions each month. The Panama Canal hopes to incentivize customers to demonstrate strong environmental stewardship and adopt more sustainable itineraries. Already, the Panama Canal said it has received encouraging feedback from its preliminary conversations with the industry.
Beyond shippers, the calculator will help the Panama Canal reduce its own carbon footprint as well. The waterway will use the Emissions Calculator to measure and track emissions from its domestic day-to-day operations and support the planning of a low carbon strategy that will be used to establish a roadmap for the Panama Canal to become a “Carbon Neutral” entity.
The Calculator will be housed within the Panama Canal’s Green Connection Environmental Recognition Program and will advance the program’s work to promote emissions reductions by recognizing vessels that comply with the highest environmental performance standards and encouraging others to do the same. It will bolster the program’s existing offerings, such as the Green Connection Award and Environmental Premium Ranking.
The CO2 Emissions Reduction Ranking will serve as the public facing platform of the Emissions Calculator. However, the specific data powering it can be made available to shippers upon request.