Title: Explaining Participation in Voluntary Vessel Emission Reduction Programs at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach

摘要

Ports are under increasing pressures to increase sustainability and reduce the emissionsimpacts associated with their operations. However, most ports are landlords rather thanoperators and have limited jurisdictional authority to require emissions reductions. One potentialsolution where regulatory control is limited is a voluntary program. This paper investigates thesuccess of the Vessel Speed Reduction Program at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach andanalyzes the factors that contributed to the success of the program. In particular, why didindividual private firms participate in a non-required, voluntary effort? This research found thatexternal pressures such as community concern about emissions and regulatory threats areimportant to motivating voluntary behavior and may even be more important than financialincentives. Furthermore, simplicity of program design, clear goals and presence of a monitoringmechanism are important. While the VSR program led to significant emission reductions,voluntary programs must continue to evolve to strive for continuous improvement.