As an economic engine for all of Clark County, the Port of Vancouver can and should be a leader in fighting climate change.
So it is heartening that port officials are undertaking an examination of carbon emissions at their facility and formulating a Climate Action Plan. All public entities and large private companies should conduct similar inventories, recognizing that cutting emissions is essential to a global effort to combat climate change. (The Columbian tracks emissions from its press and backup generators and reports them to the Southwest Clean Air Agency.)
The port, which is publicly owned, generated a record $50.36 million in revenue last year. Notably, officials credit a large influx of wind-energy components for mitigating a COVID-induced economic downturn.
“The wind really helped us overcome a lot of our challenges here at the port this year, because we saw some of our other commodities really struggle over the course of the year,” one port official said. “Having a really diverse cargo mix really, quite frankly, saved our rear ends.”
There is symbolism in the fact that the port is benefiting from a growing wind-energy industry. Turbine parts come through Vancouver and then are trucked to wind farms throughout Washington, Oregon and even Canada.
That fact also is notable. Trucks and other high-emission transportation still is necessary; the goal is to reduce emissions, not to bring the economy to a screeching halt.
Now, the Port of Vancouver is conducting an inventory of its 2019 greenhouse gas emissions, its first full-scale inventory in more than a decade. The new survey will inform the Climate Action Plan that is in the works.
Emissions will be categorized under Scope 1, referring to port-controlled activity such as its vehicle fleet, or Scope 2, meaning indirect emissions such as production of electricity and natural gas used at the port. Scope 3 will refer to operations beyond the port’s control, such as trucks, trains and ships or emissions from tenant businesses.
The climate plan likely will include targets for reductions in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, along with actions that can reduce Scope 3 emissions. “I think it just creates a renewed sense of commitment and focus toward these items,” said Mary Mattix, the port’s environmental program manager.
Not long ago, the Port of Vancouver was seeking to add an oil transfer terminal in conjunction with large fossil-fuel companies. Public opposition arose immediately, and in 2018, Gov. Jay Inslee denied a permit for the facility following a lengthy a review by state regulators.
While it is necessary that the port cater to a broad base of industries, the demise of the oil-terminal proposal is emblematic of a changing economy and a growing awareness of the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. As the NASA website explains: “Human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide.”
Efforts by the Port of Vancouver will not reverse that increase. An inventory by the city of Vancouver determined that the port produces about 1 percent of the city’s emissions – a small fraction of the emissions in a city that plays a small role in the global economy.
Yet, it is meaningful. Climate change caused, in part, by carbon emissions is a pressing issue that requires action on all fronts. As one of the region’s economic leaders, the port should help lead the way in taking that action.
