C40 World Ports Climate Conference
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Ladies and gentlemen,
One can be surprised that ports are actively addressing the issue of climate change. Nevertheless, a lot is happening in this area. In the Netherlands, the initiative to reduce emissions of ports and vessels is mainly taken by three individuals.
First of all, we would not be here today if Mayor Opstelten of Rotterdam would not have offered to organise this conference in Rotterdam. Mr Opstelten is Chairman of the Board of the Rotterdam Climate Initiative. Two weeks ago, he received a green medal for his efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in Rotterdam.
Secondly, in Ruud Lubbers, the Rotterdam Climate Initiative has a charismatic president and trailblazer. Mr Lubbers is the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and now battles tirelessly against climate change.
The third individual I would like to mention is the former Vice-President of the Port of Rotterdam, Pieter Struijs. Mr Struijs promoted awareness of safety and environmental issues in the port and in the shipping industry.
We can easily say that Mr Opstelten is the ideal host for this conference, Mr Lubbers the ideal chairperson and Mr Struijs the ideal conference director.
Rotterdam is also the ideal location for a conference where leaders of ports and port cities discuss measures to reduce CO2 emissions. Rotterdam takes the lead in reducing CO2 emissions. Many goods are shipped from your ports to Rotterdam, and I am pleased that you have come here to see it yourself.
Tomorrow evening, you will be cruising through the port. As you sail past the stacked containers, massive ships and cranes, it might be difficult to imagine that Rotterdam was once a modest fishing village on the river Rotte. Economically speaking, the area was not enormously promising.
Now, the area has become the largest logistical and industrial hub in Europe and one of the world’s major ports. Rotterdam is the gateway to the European market and one of the world’s most important meeting grounds for flows of goods.
Together with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the Port of Rotterdam is a driving force behind the Dutch economy. At least six hundred thousand people earn a living on and around the mainports and in the transport and logistics sector. More importantly, the logistics sector influences other economic sectors: from agriculture to the service industry and from the industrial sector to the telecom and energy sectors.
Although the Port of Rotterdam is large, it wants to continue growing so that it can maintain its key position in the future. For that reason, we will soon start constructing the Maasvlakte 2 in the sea. This means that we will reclaim land for thousand hectares of industrial estate, situated alongside a deep waterway.
However, physical growth does not guarantee economic growth. We need to improve our hinterland connections as well. More than a year ago, the Dutch Queen officially opened the Betuwe Route, a high-speed, direct freight railway link between the Port of Rotterdam and the European hinterland. We also work on improving traffic circulation on the main motorway to the port.
In short, growth is essential. However, during this conference, we discuss air quality improvement and the fight against climate change, which are also important. Sustainability is at the very heart of our port policy. This is not only important for the environment. It also boosts the port’s economic growth in the long term.
With its Climate Initiative, Rotterdam is a world leader in this area. The initiative includes the joint participation of government, organisations, companies and local residents to reduce the CO2 emissions of Rotterdam by 50 percent. Rotterdam does this by taking energy conservation measures and using renewable energy sources. Ultimately, the goal is to make Rotterdam the ‘World Capital of CO2-free Energy’. It goes without saying that the initiative will also lead to improvements in air quality.
Economic growth must come together with decreases in fuel consumption, other measures to counteract global warming and measures to address air quality. This is certainly possible. In fact, a lot of these measures have already been implemented. I will give you three examples:
First, we currently work hard to make the shipping sector cleaner and more efficient. This goes for inland shipping as well as sea shipping. We can do this by determining standards, sailing more fuel efficiently and offering financial incentives.
For inland shipping in Rotterdam, we have agreed that the ships will use cleaner motors and will be sailing more fuel-efficiently.
A lot has also been done to make sea shipping cleaner. The IMO has concluded an agreement with sharper standards for ship engines and the sulphur content in ship fuel. These measures will achieve cleaner air, particularly in heavily populated port regions.
Moreover, I am examining, together with the Port of Rotterdam, the possibilities to promote clean shipping through financial incentives. This can involve a bonus for clean ships and a fine for polluting ships. I hope that the European Commission will support this initiative and that our neighbouring European ports will also join these measures.
The second example I would like to give, are the sustainability requirements that the Port of Rotterdam has set for hinterland shipping. Companies that wish to settle on the Maasvlakte 2 may only transport a maximum of 35% of their containers by road. Companies that fail to meet this requirement will be fined.
Third, Rotterdam intends to capture and store CO2 in underground and undersea gas fields. Rotterdam hopes to make space for CO2 storage in underground or undersea fields. It is the ambition of the Dutch government to take the lead in this within Europe. Therefore, we encourage demonstration projects in the area of capture, transport and storage of CO2.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Rotterdam proves that climate-aware economic growth is possible for ports. It also proves that we can grow in a smart and efficient way. Still, global warming forces us to do better.
I think it’s wonderful that so many leaders of large ports and port cities have come together to take these important steps. By working together, we can support and inspire each other to counteract greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time continuing to promote economic progress. During this conference, we will definitely learn a lot from each other.
I also applaud the fact that the World Port Climate Declaration will be signed here, establishing guidelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I am proud that representatives from large international seaports chose Rotterdam to put their signature to this declaration. In that respect, this conference is already a guaranteed success.
In the coming days, I hope that you will gain useful expertise. That the conference leads to new forms of cooperation on which you can continue to build in the years ahead and that you will have an inspiring stay in Rotterdam. In short, I wish you a very fruitful and productive conference.
Thank you.