Ten Nordic Ports Collaborate on Sustainable Development Goals
10 Nordic ports have signed a declaration to work together on the environmental challenges related to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.
The declaration emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge, information and best practices within a variety of different environmental areas:
• Energy use and alternative energy sources
• Emission of air and water pollutants from port operation and vessels
• Biological diversity and the prevalence of invasive species
• Innovative solutions that support sustainable development, e.g. through close collaboration with academia, industry and start-ups.
The 10 ports that have signed the declaration are the Copenhagen Malmö Port, Port of Helsingborg, Faxaports Iceland, Port of Aarhus, Port of Helsinki, Port of Esbjerg, Port of Gothenburg, Ports of Stockholm, Port of Tórshavn and the Port of Oslo.
“Sustainability issues are crucial, and at the same time extremely complex. To accelerate the work we need to create strong partnerships. The declaration is related to the UN’s global Sustainable Development Goals and signals a strong joint commitment among some of the largest Nordic ports to act collectively, which strengthens our ability to take the work further,” says Thomas Andersson, Ports of Stockholm Managing Director.
Ports of Stockholm has offered environmental rebates to encourage customers to implement environmentally beneficial measures for many years, and it inaugurated a new onshore power facilities at Värtahamnen Port on November 4.
“No one can solve the climate challenges alone, cooperation and consensus between ports and other actors are required to move forward. The more we work together and exchange experiences, the better and stronger we can become collectively,” said Edvard Molitor, Environmental Manager at the Gothenburg Port Authority.
The Port of Gothenburg is also involved in several collaborations globally, including the World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP) where the Port of Gothenburg formed a network with the ports in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Barcelona, Bremen, Busan, Hamburg, Le Havre, Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York/New Jersey, Rotterdam and Vancouver on a number of projects addressing global warming. To increase the impact of the program, the port authority network asks governments and regulators to adopt global – or, at the very least, international – policies for CO2 pricing and to provide funding support to relevant R&D and pilot projects.