The European Joint Research Centre has published two studies that identify an unprecedented coastal flood risk unless timely climate change adaptation measures are taken. The studies highlight that without such measures:
- average annual coastal flood damage in Europe could increase from just over €1billion today to between €93 billion and €961 billion by the end of the century, and
- coastal floods could impact up to 3.65 million people every year in Europe by 2100, compared to just over 100,000 today
While the reports point out that 1 in 3 EU citizens lives within 50 km of the coast, such findings obviously also have potentially significant implications for ports and coastal waterways.
More information can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/europe-needs-coastal-adaptation-measures-avoid-catastrophic-flooding-end-century
A paper in the journal Nature Communications describes a new mathematical model that predicts average global surface air temperature. For 2018–2022, the probabilistic forecast using this system indicates a warmer than normal period with an associated increased likelihood of intense to extreme temperatures.
The paper can be found at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-05442-8
A large proportion of the Leeds-Liverpool canal, an important recreational boating waterway, is closing - potentially for many weeks - because of drought conditions in Northern England. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-10835222
Some interesting preliminary analysis on the role of climate change in the current European heatwave at https://www.worldweatherattribution.org
Navigating a Changing Climate’s work on climate change adaptation has been presented at three major international conferences over the past ten days!
First, on June 19th at Adaptation Futures 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa, where Jan Brooke presented the work of PIANC’s Working Group 178 at this biennial, global gathering of over 1300 climate change scientists, practitioners, business leaders and policymakers from around the world. Find out more at https://adaptationfutures2018.capetown/ and see the attached presentation.
Second, on June 26th the work of Navigating a Changing Climate (NaCC) was introduced to participants at the 11th International Harbour Masters Congress, held in London, UK and run by NaCC partner IHMA. Here the focus was on the future need for adaptation of navigation infrastructure. The NaCC partnership’s survey on the costs and consequences of extreme weather events was also introduced. See http://navclimate.pianc.org/about/navclimate-news/survey-understanding-the-consequences-of-extreme-events
And then on 27th June at the EcoShape Conference 'Scaling up Building with Nature', in Utrecht, The Netherlands. At this event, the emphasis was on the role of ‘Working with Nature’ and nature-based solutions in improving the resilience of navigation infrastructure. You can find more on this at https://www.ecoshape.org/en/ecoshape-conference-scaling-up-building-with-nature/
The partners in the Navigating a Changing Climate initiative are preparing a survey to help improve understanding of the costs and other consequences of extreme weather events for ports and inland waterways.
The survey is intended to provide information to help such organisations justify future expenditure on measures to improve their climate change resilience.
We are currently piloting the survey. If you would like to help us by completing the attached (scroll down to see download) and returning it to we would be very grateful. As well as completing the survey, feel free to tell us how you think it can be improved!
The final survey will be launched in autumn 2018. The results will be made available here, on this website, in due course navclimate.pianc.org
An interesting session at the recent International Transport Forum summit 'Decarbonising Transport: Towards a catalogue of effective measures'.
More information, including a recording of the session, available at https://2018.itf-oecd.org/decarbonising-transport
According to the World Meteorological Organization's April update, April 2018 was the third warmest on record. Notable developments in long-term climate change indicators, including carbon dioxide levels and sea ice cover, were also noted, and there were several high-impact weather events.
More information can be found at https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/april-high-co2-low-sea-ice-and-extreme-weather
All of these observations highlight the increasingly urgent need to strengthen resilience and begin adapting navigation infrastructure to climate change...
Really important report published by OECD International Transport Forum on role of ports in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. See https://www.itf-oecd.org/reducing-shipping-ghg-emissions
Essential reading for #NavClimate and everyone involved in https://sustainableworldports.org/about/
The World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP) is an initiative of IAPH as coordinator working with four founding partners: PIANC, AIVP, American Association of Port Authorities and ESPO. IADC and ICHCA are amongst several other signatories to the Charter.
There are five main workstreams under the WPSP, each of which aims to deliver on a cluster of relevant United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. The workstreams cover:
- resilient infrastructure, to face the challenges of the future including climate change
- climate and energy, initiatives that contribute to the Paris Agreement goals
- community outreach and port-city dialogue, embracing societal integration
- safety and security, including cyber-security
- governance and ethics; transparent, ethical policies and management.
The first two workstreams in the list above coincide particularly well with the activities of the PIANC-led Navigating a Changing Climate initiative in which IAPH and ESPO are also partners. There is therefore a great deal of scope for collaboration (and for avoiding duplication).
The first day of the WPSP launch event comprised a high-level welcome and endorsement session. Worth noting from Day One, the strong relationship expressed between the port community and maritime shipping, and the repeated calls on the IMO for a strong set of targets for GHG reduction as an outcome from their forthcoming meeting.
The second day provided an opportunity for those attending to help shape the future activities of the Program, through a series of workshops. Two of these workshops covered topics of particular interest to the Navigating a Changing Climate partners: climate and energy, and resilient infrastructure. Recommendations from the first of these workshops included:
- development of incentives to support ports and terminals in their efforts to decarbonise
- support for onshore power through collaborative projects
- understanding waste streams in the context of the circular economy, and
- data collection and improved understanding of energy efficiency and carbon foot-printing.
Recommended actions from the resilient infrastructure workshop included:
- introduction of sustainability requirements (criteria) into financing agreements
- collation of information on costs and consequences of extreme weather events (in collaboration with Navigating a Changing Climate), and
- raising awareness of ‘with nature’ philosophies including using social media.
More information about the WPSP initiative can be found at the new website (https://sustainableworldports.org) and news about the launch event and its outcomes can be accessed through: https://sustainableworldports.org/news/.