Port Decision Maker Perceptions on the Effectiveness of Climate Adaptation Actions

Effective adaptation to climate change impacts is rapidly becoming an important research topic. Hitherto, the perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders on climate adaptation actions are under researched, partly due to the emphasis on physical and engineering aspects during the adaptation planning process. Building on such considerations, the paper explores the perceptions of port decision makers on the effectiveness of climate adaptation actions. The findings suggest that while port decision makers are aware of potential climate change impacts and feel that more adaptation actions should be undertaken, they are skeptical about their effectiveness and value. This is complemented by a regional analysis on the results, suggesting that more tailor-made adaptation measures suited to local circumstances should be developed. The study illustrates the complexity of climate adaptation planning and of involving port decision makers under the current planning paradigm

Maritime commerce and transport : The imperfect match between climate change and the International Maritime Organization

The chapter looks at maritime commerce and transport, in the process highlighting the imperfect match between the policies of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the challenges posed by climate change to the world’s oceans. As the principal regulator of international maritime transport, the IMO is an obvious venue for devising policies for addressing climate-related challenges for shipping. However, the IMO is not up to the task for a number of reasons. It has always advocated a staid approach to addressing environmental concerns related to shipping, relying, for example, on existing technologies rather than pushing members to adopt new ones. Although the IMO has called for improvements in the energy efficiency of ships, it has not embraced the decarbonisation of maritime transport. Indeed, greenhouse gas emissions from shipping continue to increase and even the IMO does not expect them to fall before 2050. Because the IMO has lacked initiative and consequently lacks legitimacy in this issue area, actions to limit climate-changing pollution from shipping have fallen to often-fragmented schemes implemented by regional organisations, ports and private actors