East Asia has being heavily affected by the rise in shipping activities in the region, and has led to thousands of deaths annually, according to a study in the Journal of Nature Climate Change.
Increased emissions lead to large adverse health impacts, with 14,500–37,500 premature deaths per year.
The study shows that shipping emissions in East Asia accounted for 16% of global shipping CO2 in 2013, compared to only 4–7% in 2002–2005.
This is a large number, considering that China is home to seven out of the 10 biggest ports in the world.
Technical Paper: Shipping Emissions in Ports: Overview, Impact, Prognosis
East Asia has the most rapidly growing shipping emissions of both CO2 and traditional air pollutants, but the least in-depth analysis.
As a large fraction of vessels are registered elsewhere, joint efforts are necessary to reduce emissions and mitigate the climate and health impacts of shipping in the region.
PTI previously reported that members of the national ship-owners associations of the International Chamber of Shipping had agreed to coordinate a shipping emissions campaign in a bid to lower the impacts of emissions in ports.
Despite the serious effects of emissions, Japanese carrier K-Line achieved a 13.6% reduction in CO2 emissions in 2015, compared to 2011.
