The Port of Quebec today unveiled its new Environmental, Social, Governance and Sustainable Development (ESGDD) 2024-2028 action plan, which is structured around its Vision 2035 blueprint and which provides for the implementation of 20 specific actions for a more sustainable world.
Decarbonization being one of the priority axes of the plan, the Port aims in particular to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) by 40% across the entire port territory by 2035.
The cruise sector is also taken into account, with a specific target of reducing GHG emissions from cruise ships by at least 50% by 2030. As this last target depends on the electrification of cruise docks, the Port of Quebec takes the opportunity to reiterate the need to obtaining funding from the federal and provincial governments as well as the electrical power necessary to achieve this objective.
“An infrastructure like the Port of Quebec must act as a solution to environmental challenges,” said Mario Girard, President and CEO of the Port of Quebec. “The environmental issue is part of our daily lives and the development of this new ESGDD action plan demonstrates our desire to go well beyond regulatory requirements in terms of sustainable development.
“There is an urgent need to step on the accelerator with regard to the fight against climate change, the transition to green fuels, the protection of biodiversity and the improvement of the living environment in our port cities. This plan will help us concretize and measure the extent of our environmental actions.”
This ambitious new plan for the Port of Quebec is firmly aligned with the United Nations’ global sustainable development goals (SDGs) and is the product of several consultations with internal and external stakeholders.
From these consultations, the four priority areas of action that make up the 2024-2028 ESGDD plan emerged, namely:
- The environment and biodiversity (five actions) ;
- Climate resilience and decarbonization (four actions) ;
- Employees and communities (six actions) ;
- ESG leadership (five actions).
Among the 20 specific actions planned, in addition to the GHG reduction targets mentioned above, there is the following:
- Adoption of a greening plan by 2025 ;
- Establishment of objectives for the preservation, conservation and improvement of ecosystems by 2026 ;
- Analysis of climate risks and opportunities and adoption of a climate resilience plan ;
- Creation of an annual fund dedicated to citizen initiatives ;
- Active participation in the 2022-2027 action plan of the Intersectoral Committee on environmental contamination and air quality in the district of La Cité – Limoilou (CICEL).
(Photo from Port of Quebec)
