Abstract
Maritime ports are critical nodes in the Canadian resource-based economy that can have significant environmental impacts near coastal communities and marine ecosystems. To address these impacts, Canadian Port Authorities (CPAs) assess their environmental performance using the Green Marine Environmental Program (GMEP). Reliance on this program necessitates its evaluation as an effective initiative to address sustainability in its broader context. An analysis was performed to identify links between United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) targets relevant to the Canadian Port Sector and GMEP performance indicators. Results indicate that there are significant gaps in the GMEP, with only 14 of 36 relevant SDG targets directly linked to the program. Findings suggest either an expansion of the GMEP to incorporate these broader sustainability goals, or the development and inclusion of a new framework for CPAs to bridge gaps between the GMEP and SDG targets to improve sustainability in their maritime port operations.
Highlights
Canadian maritime ports have a significant impact across all regions and industry sectors in the country, making ports an essential component of Canada’s resource-based economy
Despite offering several benefits to participants—the use of certified logo, involvement in program development, enhancing social license to operate—the Green Marine Environmental Program (GMEP) is limited in its ability to affect meaningful change in the overall sustainability goals of Canadian Port Authorities (CPAs) [39]
This finding necessitates either an expansion of the GMEP to incorporate these broader sustainability goals, or the development and inclusion of an additional framework that can be used by CPAs to bridge gaps between the GMEP and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) targets applicable to their operations
Summary
Canadian maritime ports have a significant impact across all regions and industry sectors in the country, making ports an essential component of Canada’s resource-based economy. The role of ports cannot be undervalued as they facilitate a growing economy, improve the logistics of bringing goods to market, and are critical components to competitive, safe, and environmentally sustainable marine corridors [1,2,3,4]. In 2017, ports and marine shipping moved 19% (CAD 101 billion) of Canada’s exports to global markets and 21% (CAD 116 billion) of Canada’s total imports [2]. The CPAs were created under the 1998 Canada Marine Act to transfer the cost of port operations from taxpayers to users [2].
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