New research from the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) at the University of Oxford, has found that nearly nine out of ten major ports worldwide are vulnerable to harmful climate hazards.
According to the study, ports will have to adapt to rising sea levels and more intense storms due to climate change because they are situated in hazard-prone places along the coast and next to rivers that are vulnerable to storms and floods, and this might disrupt port operations and physically harm port infrastructure, with far-reaching effects.
The study presents a detailed picture of climate hazards for 1,340 of the most major ports globally. The most comprehensive data on natural disasters, such as earthquakes, cyclones, and flooding, as well as regional data on “marine extremes,” are combined with a new geospatial database of port infrastructure assets.
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Research lead Jasper Verschuur said โWe found 86% of all ports are exposed to more than three types of climatic and geophysical hazards. Extreme conditions at sea (e.g. storms) are expected to cause operational disruptions to around 40% of ports globally. Whatโs more, ports are exposed to other hazards including river flooding and earthquakes so port designers and operators have to take multiple hazards into consideration.
โThatโs not always happening at the moment. For instance, the foundations of quay walls need careful consideration when exposed to earthquakes, the orientation and design of breakwaters when exposed to extreme waves and surges, and the drainage system when exposed to fluvial and pluvial flooding. If that doesnโt happen, we could see major disruptions to global trade and supply chains.โ
According to the report, large ports in Asia, the Gulf of Mexico, and Western Europe suffer the greatest climatic hazards, but the repercussions might be greatest in the ports of middle-income countries even while the absolute danger is particularly high in high-income countries.
The study further estimates that the annual cost of the climate risk is $7.6 billion, the majority of which is caused by tropical storms and river floods of ports. This figure shows that even though ports only cover relatively small areas, the high value and density of assets can contribute to climate risk on a national and global scale. It is more than half as large as an earlier estimate of the climate risk of road and rail infrastructure on a global scale.
Story was adapted from Ships & Ports.
