Guest commentary: Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program yields big environmental gains
By Ali Reza Ghasemi
The 10th season of the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies (BWBS) Program in 2024 achieved impressive environmental results: It reduced the risk of deadly ship strikes to endangered whales by 50%, underwater noise by 38%, smog-forming pollution by 1,400 tons and greenhouse gases by nearly 50,000 metric tons along the California coast.
This program encourages cargo ships operated by global shipping lines to voluntarily reduce their speeds to 10 knots or less along the Southern California coast and a region that includes the bays of San Francisco and Monterey.
After the 2024 May-through-December Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) Season concluded, BWBS analyzed ship Automatic Identification System data to determine enrolled fleets’ cooperation levels, and researchers calculated the environmental impact associated with the reduction in speed.
Key points are below:
AIR QUALITY & GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Researchers compared in-season transit speeds of participating lines to historic, out-of-season speeds and quantified the reduction in emissions associated with that change.
Analyses show estimated reductions of 1,405 tons of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which is the equivalent of taking about 900,000 cars off the road for a year. It also resulted in estimated reductions of 33 tons of oxides of sulfur, 8.4 tons of diesel particulate matter and 49,945 metric tons of regional greenhouse gases.
When ships reduce speeds to the program’s threshold, it decreases air pollution and emissions by about 27% from baseline.
NOx, a key contributor to smog, is of particular concern, especially for communities overburdened by pollution from ports, high traffic and industrial sources.
Ocean-going vessels emit a large portion of NOx affecting coastal California, but they are outside of local air district regulatory authority so BWBS is a critical component of our air pollution emissions-reduction strategy.
SHIP STRIKE RISK
Research partners with Point Blue Conservation Science compared in-season transit speeds of participating transits to out-of-season speeds and quantified the reduction in fatal strike risk associated with that change. The analyses show that transits of participating vessels posed a 50.1% lower strike mortality risk to whales.
UNDERWATER NOISE
Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers analyzed acoustic data and found that, across all program zones, the source levels of participating ships were reduced by 38%, or 4.1 decibels, when the 2024 program was active versus inactive.
Whales have evolved over the millennia to use sound for their daily life functions — to navigate, communicate, and keep in contact during long migrations.
Noise pollution disrupts these essential behaviors, threatening their ability to thrive.
These tremendous environmental benefits are driven by growing industry participation.
Seven shipping lines slowed their speeds through the Santa Barbara Channel during the program’s first year. This year, 49 lines opted in to reduce their speeds along the much larger zone.
From 2023 to 2024, participation increased 48% and the number of shipping lines performing in the top tier jumped 77%.
This growth occurred even though we stopped providing financial incentives to encourage participation in 2023.
The number of organizations steering this program has also increased.
In the beginning, we collaborated with the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Environmental Defense Center. Partners now include the Bay Area Air District, Monterey Bay Air Resources District, San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District, Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory and California Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
A few years ago, we began welcoming Ambassadors to the program. Ambassadors are consumer goods companies that use participating shipping lines and ports and logistics companies that work with them. Ambassadors help by increasing the demand for sustainable shipping. Limoneira, Sonos, Brighten Solar Co. and the Port of Hueneme are among our Ambassadors.
BWBS is a powerful example of the environmental gains that are possible when industry, government agencies andconservationists work together. As we progress into our second decade, we’d love to expand and I invite you to join the program.
Shipping companies and bulk operators can contact Jess Morten at [email protected].
Logistics companies, freight forwarders, ports and product companies can email Becca Tucker at [email protected].
For more information, visit the BWBS website at bluewhalesblueskies.org.
Ali Reza Ghasemi is the air pollution control officer for the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.
