Canadian Maritime Industry Aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals

A groundbreaking new study by Clear Seas, in collaboration with Green Marine and the Association of Canadian Port Authorities (ACPA), has mapped the sustainability initiatives of the Canadian maritime industry against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

The research, titled "Mapping Canadian Maritime Industry Initiatives to UN Sustainable Development Goals," provides a clear overview of how the 17 UN SDGs are being applied in the maritime sector and identifies those SDGs most relevant to maritime sustainability initiatives.

Key Findings:

• Significant Alignment: Eight UN SDGs, including those focused on environmental protection, health, and economic growth, are most relevant to the maritime industry.
• Green Marine's Contribution: Green Marine's certification program contributes to 11 out of the 17 UN SDGs, demonstrating its effectiveness in driving sustainability initiatives.
• Global Sustainability Framework: The UN SDGs represent a global framework that can guide Canada's ports in further developing sustainability frameworks and approaches.

Extensive SDG Adoption: Over two-thirds of Canadian maritime companies reference the SDGs in their sustainability reporting.

Read the Report Here

Read the Full Press Release Here

As people continue to gather in expanding cities, noise pollution has been described as the next public health crisis. In the ocean, this situation is aggravated as sound travels further in water than it does in air. With the sound from a ship’s propeller hitting up to 170 decibels, the equivalent of a rocket engine at lift-off, and travelling up to 160 km before fully dissipating, the survival of marine life is threatened. Imagine what it’s like to be a marine animal with container ships, ferries and other commercial vessels passing overhead. When affected by noise, whales and many other marine animals struggle to communicate, eat, and reproduce.

In response, a project developed by Clear Seas and funded by Transport Canada’s Quiet Vessel Initiative and Mitacs’ Accelerate Program brings together a research team of engineers and marine biologists at the University of British Columbia to solve this serious problem by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence. To help them with their work, the research team have invited experts from across North America to join a collaborative design workshop in Vancouver, BC on June 1-2 to develop innovative ways to tackle this issue of underwater noise from ships.

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