The Big Story 

California could lead a global effort to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ocean cargo ships and minimize air pollution near seaports, policy analysts have determined. 

© AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

As the busiest shoreline hubs in the Western Hemisphere, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach also endure heightened and highly concentrated air pollution levels, according to two new reports led by the University of California Berkeley.  

The California Air Resources Board estimated that cargo activities in this region — collectively called the San Pedro Bay ports — have caused about 67 premature deaths and more than 2,000 lower respiratory injuries per year, the authors noted.  

California ports in general are responsible for about 40 percent of container imports into the U.S. and 30 percent of such exports, per the research, conducted by Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and Energy & Environmental Research Associates.   

The reports, commissioned by the nonprofit Pacific Environment, aim to both advise policymakers as to how they might decrease the emissions in the maritime sector and provide technical evaluations of such decarbonization efforts. 

"The federal and state governments, including California, need to accelerate efforts to transition ships and ports toward a zero-emission future," David Wooley, director of the Environmental Center at Goldman, said in a statement. 

"We call on California to gradually transition ships operating in its waters to zero or near zero emission fuels," Wooley added. 

Crediting the Golden State for its pioneering role in requiring less sulfur in fuels and emissions controls aboard ships, the reports urged officials to signal their intent to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. 

They could do so by adopting incentives or requirements for zero-carbon fuels in ships that operate in California's waters, if international progress on this issue fails to materialize, per the research.  

The authors stressed that while a transition to zero-carbon fuels for shipping "will not be easy," they believe that "there are clear near-term technical and policy options to significantly reduce emissions." 

Such steps, they explained, could "lay the foundation for a fully decarbonized industry by 2040."  

Welcome to The Hill’s Sustainability newsletter, I'm Sharon Udasin — every week we follow the latest moves in the growing battle over sustainability in the U.S. and around the world.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads 

Latest news impacting sustainability this week and beyond:

House Republicans’ farm bill proposal ‘robs Peter to pay Paul,’ Agriculture secretary says

Wildfire smoke has covered up to 70 percent of California in recent years, affecting land and water: Study

UCLA to lead first federal research center focused on building heat-resilient communities

The pivotal role of a tiny hydropower plant in preserving the Colorado River’s future

Climate Dangers 

© AP Photo/Eric Gay

Both extreme heat and cold are associated with heightened risks of death from stroke, a new study has found.  

That link was stronger in low-income than in high-income studies, according to the study, published on Wednesday in Stroke. 

Extreme effects: The connection between temperature extremes and stroke fatalities, the authors noted, applies to both of the two main types of stroke: Ischemic and hemorrhagic.  

• Ischemic strokes — 87 percent of all strokes — are those caused by a blood vessel blockage, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
• Hemorrhagic strokes are those caused by bleeding.  

Bearing the brunt: With temperature spikes could come not only a rise in such deaths but also “a widening disparity in stroke mortality between high- and low-income countries," lead author Barrak Alahmad, an environmental health researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement. 

That discrepancy, he explained, is due to the fact that "the latter are likely to bear the brunt of climate change." 

An international issue: To evaluate the potential link between extreme temperatures and strokes through a global lens, the researchers built a multinational database by harnessing information available through a global environmental health consortium. 

• The database included more than 3.4 million ischemic and more than 2.4 million hemorrhagic stroke deaths.
• The deaths were reported between 1979 and 2019 across 522 cities in 25 countries.     

Deadly heat and cold: The authors found that for every 1,000 total stroke deaths, about 11 were attributable to extreme heat or cold.  

• Of those, the hottest and coldest 2.5 percent of the days were responsible for 2.2 and 9.1 excess deaths, respectively.
• Out of every 1,000 hemorrhagic strokes, the hottest and coldest 2.5 percent of the days were to blame for 0.7 and 11.2 excess deaths. 

Heat and hemorrhage: Low-income countries bore a greater burden of heat-related hemorrhagic stroke deaths, according to the study.  

• Such nations might also be enduring more cold-related hemorrhagic stroke deaths, but the evidence was suggestive, rather than conclusive.
• The authors did not find any such link with respect to ischemic stroke deaths.    

Closing the gap: The differences may be related to the availability of indoor temperature control systems and lower rates of outdoor work in higher-income countries, the authors explained.  

As climate change continues to intensify temperature extremes, the researchers called for further research and interventional strategies to help mitigate stroke-related fatalities — particularly in low-income countries. 

On Our Radar 

Upcoming news themes and events we're watching:

In Other News 

Branch out with different reads from The Hill:

Democrats refer Big Oil probe findings to the Justice Department

House and Senate Democrats are referring the results of their probe into alleged climate disinformation by the oil industry to the Justice Department.

Permitting reform supporters press forward despite Schumer’s pessimism

Capitol Hill’s permitting reform advocates are pressing forward despite Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) throwing cold water on the prospects of advancing legislation to speed up the nation’s energy projects. 

Around The Nation 

Local and state headlines on sustainability issues:

What We're Reading 

Sustainability news we've flagged from other outlets:

What Others are Reading 

More stories on The Hill right now:

Students missing school can have a snowball effect

The number of students missing at least 18 days a year has nearly doubled since 2018, sounding an alarm among educators. Read more

San Francisco city program gives free booze to alcoholics

The goal is to keep homeless alcoholics out of jail and out of the emergency room. Read more