New data from the Port of LA shows that air pollution emitted from ships, trains, trucks and cargo equipment dropped during 2016 — even though the port had its busiest year ever.
Every single pollutant tracked by the Port of LA dropped between 2015 and 2016, including the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, smog-forming nitrogen oxide, and diesel particulate matter, which causes cancer. The data was released in the port’s latest emission inventory.
The 2016 emissions inventory shows that pollution reductions were distributed unevenly across the Port of LA. Ships and cargo-handling equipment cut their pollution far more than trains and harborcraft. Pollution from trucks actually increased slightly.
