In November, the U.S. ports industry received one of the biggest injections of investment ever seen when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released nearly $3 billion as part of its Clean Ports Program. The grants, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, are designed to support the deployment of zero-emission equipment, as well as infrastructure and climate and air quality planning projects across 53 inland and coastal ports.
While much attention was focused on how the funding could be used to deploy electric cargo handling equipment, shore power for docked ships, and infrastructure upgrades, another essential element of the funding is for climate resilience planning. Several ports now have this funding, offering the resources to produce a comprehensive plan to make their ports more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2024 is the warmest year on record, at 1.55 °C above pre-industrial levels. Scientists at the Independent Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) set the 1.5 °C target to reduce some of the deadliest effects of climate change. For example, many irreversible ‘tipping points’ for ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica occur between 1.5 and 2.0 °C.
At any temperature increase, a clear, direct impact is increased precipitation, with the atmosphere capable of holding 7% more moisture with every degree of warming. This in turn increases both the frequency and intensity of flood events, one of the climate risks ports are already preparing for. Other climate risks include more frequent and intense hurricanes, wildfires, and heat waves, all of which have an impact on ports. The definition of climate resilience is the capacity to recover from extreme events, which will clearly become increasingly important.
At Tunley Environmental, we have been carrying out emissions inventories, net zero plans for ports, and are now advising ports on the process of carrying out a climate resilience plan. Once a team is formed for climate resilience planning, the following steps offer best practice:
- Explore the hazards unique to the port.
- Assess the port’s vulnerability and the risks to operations.
- Investigate mitigation options
- Prioritize mitigation steps
- Carry out the plan, take action, and review regularly.