The 3 initial steps to adapt ports to climate change

Climate extremes, such as those that struck the Ever Given and the Papaa 305 in 2021, and increasingly powerful storms, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Cyclone Mekunu in 2018, which damaged port infrastructure, highlight the reality of climate crisis risks for the maritime and port sector.

When analyzing the climate risks faced by 1,340 of the world's major ports, researchers at the University of Oxford recently showed that 86% of these ports are exposed to more than three climate hazards. And globally, total climate risk for ports was estimated at US$7.5 billion per year.

Resilience and adaptation measures for the maritime and port sector fall into three main categories: physical, social, and institutional. But it is necessary to consider some steps to select and prioritize climate adaptation measures.

In this article, we will address the 3 initial steps to adapt ports to climate change.

Step 1: Conduct risk assessments

Step 2: Monitor sea and weather conditions

Step 3: Select and prioritize climate adaptation measures

Step 1: Conduct risk assessments

This strategy includes documenting and recognizing risk factors in a seaport. A fundamental step to understand the vulnerability of a port and its facilities, and subsequently select and prioritize climate adaptation measures.

Start by identifying the most relevant risks. This means having historical information, organized and easily accessible, about which environmental conditions impact operations and infrastructure.

It may seem obvious. However, many ports, terminals, and port operators do not have this data.

About 44% of global port sector entities did not have historical information on rainfall and its impacts on port operations and infrastructure, and 50% did not have information on waves, in 2017. In Brazil, only 20% of ports conduct continuous monitoring of environmental conditions and their impacts on operations and infrastructure.

To assist in this step, we provide a simple tool that we widely use to map the impact of climate conditions on operations: the climate event log spreadsheet.

Step 2: Monitor sea and weather conditions

Once risks and operational limits have been identified, we need to have a climate risk management system in hand, for monitoring climate conditions and sending alerts. In addition to increasing safety and resilience to climate extremes, this system also increases the safety and efficiency of daily planning.

In the short term, it prevents accidents and improves operational efficiency. In the medium and long term, the strategic planning of the business becomes based on the future impact of climate events on operations and infrastructure.

For example, a climate intelligence system supports you in making better decisions, understanding the behavior of conditions, and making operational planning more robust, which translates into less risk of accidents/incidents and greater operational efficiency.

Step 3: Select and prioritize climate adaptation measures

The third step is to choose structural, managerial, and operational adaptation measures that best fit the reality of your business.

The adoption of measures to increase port climate resilience has been increasing every year, although it is still limited. According to UNCTAD, 58% of respondents worldwide have strategies for climate adaptation. In Brazil, only 28% of ports have established measures.

Multi-criteria analysis

One of the methods to select and prioritize these measures is multi-criteria analysis. The criteria for defining climate adaptation measures following this method are:

-- Costs: immediate economic costs of the option, ongoing costs, associated social and environmental costs;

-- Effectiveness: does the option achieve the stated objective?

-- Efficiency: are the benefits greater than the costs?

-- Equity: the adaptation option should not negatively affect people, the environment, and the business;

-- Priority: extreme risks should be treated with urgency;

-- Co-benefits: is the option capable of benefiting from opportunities that lead to social, economic, and environmental benefits?

-- Maladaptation: the option should not limit future adaptation options or negatively impact people or other areas.

When to start preparing for the climate crisis?

Now! If you are wondering when to start climate adaptation in your business, the IPCC AR6 report highlights that climate change is already happening in all areas. Furthermore, it states that adaptation measures for reducing climate risks are efficient in various contexts, with a high degree of confidence.

The 2022 RTI International analysis calculates that climate change will likely cost additional billions of dollars each year — unless significant mitigation and/or adaptation measures are taken.

Combinations of non-structural measures, such as early warning systems, and structural measures, such as dikes and other infrastructure, can be applied across various sectors, with great potential to reduce the loss of lives, assets, and resources.

In this article, we shared important steps for you to start now defining and implementing adaptation measures to reduce the current and future impacts of extreme climate events on your business. We continue addressing this topic in the article about climate risks to the port sector.