Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32Why “Green” Matters to Passenger Vessel Operators By Karen Rainbolt, FOGHORN Managing Editor JULY 2016 • FOGHORN 11 FOGHORNFOCUS: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES MARINE GROUP B o a t w o r k s Marine Group Boat Works is the finest California boatbuilder and repairer of steel and aluminum high-speed ferries, catamarans and passenger vessels up to 220 feet-long.Operating two shifts, six days per week for fast turnarounds and minimized vessel time out-of-service. marinegroupbw.com | leah@marinegroupbw.com | [619] 621-2220 NEXT GENERATION TAKINGPASSENGER VESSELSTOTHE Nowupgradingthe M.V.GeminiandtheM.V.Intintoli I n late 2015, representatives from 196 nations assembled in Paris and voted to adopt the agreement set forth by the Paris Climate Conference, officially known as the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This historic agreement sets the goal of limiting the world’s rise in average temperature to “well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.” This agreement was heralded around the globe as a crucial step toward mitigating the effects of climate change in both developed and devel- oping nations. The COP21 document includes two essential points: • That climate change represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet and thus requires the widest possible cooperation by all countries; and • That deep reductions in global emissions will be required in order to achieve the ultimate objective of the Convention and emphasizing the need for urgency in addressing climate change. Also participating in the climate agreement talks were leaders from privately held corporations around the world, many who had previously formed a coalition, the CEO Climate Leadership Group, to identify and communicate their concerns of how climate change may adversely impact their businesses and established a list of goals and objectives to aid a low-carbon business environment. What COP21 Means to Business Shortly after the COP21 meeting, questions were raised about what it means to the business community. Passengervesseloperatorsmaywonder how their businesses may be impacted. Indeed, ERM, an environmental and sustainability consulting firm operating in 40 countries, published a report saying, “the transport sector will come under increasing focus, driving effi- ciency improvements and the prospect of major technological shifts.” As many in the passenger vessel industry are daily purveyors of transportation for commuters, this “increasing focus”