n 2024, the Port handled nearly 10.3 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent units (TEUs), the standard measurement for international containers. The 19% year-over-year jump in container volume is the largest annual percentage increase in Port history. The increase led to single-digit increases of DPM and GHG emissions, both up 8% and SOx up 5% from 2023. NOx emissions remained flat at their 2023 level.
Despite overall increases in several categories of pollutants from 2023 to 2024, the Port of Los Angeles — on a per-container basis — continued to log overall improvements, port officials said on Thursday, Oct. 16.
“This increase across (some of the) categories,” said port Executive Director Gene Seroka, “is a direct result of the port handling a 19% surge in volume” in containers from 2023 to 2024.
Overall, Seroka said, great strides have been taken since the comprehensive annual surveys began in 2005 by both the ports of L.A. and Long Beach.
The Port of Los Angeles, he said, has “achieved the lowest emissions ever on record on a per-container basis.”
The annual emissions report was presented at the regular Los Angeles harbor commission meeting. The LA presentation came several days after the Port of Long Beach issued its report, which showed similar results.
“The Port of Los Angeles reported a record of 10.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024,” POLA’s report, which is online, says, “which is 19% higher than the prior year and 38% higher than the 2005 (Clean Air Action Plan adopted by both the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach) baseline year.”
Changes from 2023 to 2024 in specific pollutant categories were:
- 7% increase in PM10 (particulate matter).
- 7% increase in PM2.5 (fine particulate matter).
- 8% increase in DPM (diesel particulate matter).
- 0% change in NOx (nitrogen oxides).
- 5% increase in SOx (sulfur oxides).
- 6% decrease in CO (carbon monoxide).
- 8% decrease in HC (high hydrocarbons).
- 8% increase in CO2e (greenhouse gas emissions).
Comparing the numbers to those from 2005, however, significant drops have been recorded over time.
Since 2005, in fact, the port has cut overall emissions of diesel particulate matter by 90%, sulfur oxides by 98% and nitrogen oxides by 73%, port officials said during the meeting. For every 10,000 containers, port statistics show, emissions of DPM, SOx and NOx are down 93%, 99% and 81%, respectively.
Each year, air pollution from ships, trucks, trains, harbor craft and cargo-handling equipment is monitored to measure the results of the port’s clean air strategies and programs. The port also evaluates its progress on a per container basis to analyze the efficiency of its pollution-reduction initiatives. The new report is based on trade activity during 2024.
“Two decades ago, we made a commitment to grow green,” Seroka said. “The report shows we are doing just that – moving cargo more sustainably than ever, while driving cargo volume increases.”
Tracking the shorter-term progress — since 2017, when the port updated the Clean Air Action Plan — DPM, NOx, SOx and greenhouse gas emissions are down 12%, 34%, 24% and 6%, respectively.
Besides ground-level pollution, the port’s clean air strategies target greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Overall, port measures have resulted in an 18% reduction in GHGs since 2005. On a per container basis, GHGs are down 40%.
“It sounds like since last year, although on an absolute level certain particulates have gone up, on a per-container basis (they’ve) fallen significantly,” said Los Angeles harbor Commissioner Ed Renwick when the findings were reported at Monday’s meeting. “And we’re cleaning the air faster than the overall (L.A.) basin is.cleaning.”
Commissioner Yolanda De La Torre, who lives in Wilmington, said the progress was encouraging.
“I remember being on other side of this (as a community member) last year and seeing the progress,” she said. “Now, to be on this side (as a commissioner) and to see it continuing makes me feel proud.”
Lisa Wunder, director of environmental management at the Port of Los Angeles, also said the twin San Pedro Bay ports are the only ones in the U.S. conducting detailed and annual calculations on pollution.
Within the South Coast Air Management District region as a whole, Wunder said, the port contributed about 12.7% to regional mobile source emissions in 2005. In 2024, she said, monitoring showed that the port contributed 6.4% regionwide.
In 2024, the port handled nearly 10.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units, the standard measurement for international containers. The 19% year-over-year jump in container volume is the largest annual percentage increase in port history. The increase led to single-digit increases of DPM and GHG emissions, both up 8%, and SOx, which was up 5%, from 2023. NOx emissions remained flat at 2023 levels.
An ongoing shift to cleaner-burning fuels, zero-emissions technologies, and cleaner ships, trucks and cargo-handling equipment has driven some of those improvements, the report said.
Long-term trends and strategies to further reduce emissions include fewer ships, each with greater capacity, delivering more cargo. With those newer, more efficient vessels calling at the port, officials said, container ship arrivals already have fallen 34% while container volume has grown 38% since 2005.
The Port of Long Beach, meanwhile, reported on Monday that since 2005, the baseline year emissions are measured against, diesel particulates there have declined by 90%, nitrogen oxides by 68% and sulfur oxides by 98%.
Those improvements took place as cargo increased 44% from 2005 to 2024, according to that port’s update.
Goals set in the ports’ 2010 Clean Air Action Plan for 2023 called for reductions of 77% for diesel particulates, 59% for nitrogen oxides and 93% for sulfur oxides.
Some categories of emissions increased in the short term from 2023 to 2024, Long Beach officials said, also citing the increase in cargo numbers. Year-over-year, diesel soot and nitrogen oxides rose by 23% and 12%, respectively. Sulfur oxides decreased 2%.
The primary factor impacting emissions during that time, according to the Long Beach port, was a record 9.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units of container cargo handled in 2024, 20.3% more than the prior year. The port also included dredging boats in the inventory for the first time, which increased harbor craft emissions but provides additional transparency and accountability for port-related sources, Port of Long Beach officials said.