Barcelona Container Port Photo: Davies / CC-BY-SA

The Port of Barcelona is a participating incentive provider in the World Ports Climate Initiative's Environmental Ship Index.

Mitigation and moving towards low carbon waterborne transport infrastructure

All sectors must play their part in climate change mitigation. The waterborne transport infrastructure sector is no exception.

Port and waterway infrastructure and operations typically account for only a very small proportion of the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the shipment of a particular consignment. The most significant proportion by far is associated with the sea voyage, and a varying amount with connecting transport.

It is nonetheless important that the owners, operators and users of waterborne transport infrastructure take steps to minimise the emissions associated with their activities if they are to contribute to the ‘less-than-2-degrees’ pathway.

The associations represented on the the Navigating a Changing Climate Partnership recognise the importance – and the urgency – of implementing effective mitigation measures and of moving towards low carbon infrastructure.

Coalition members further acknowledge the need for innovation alongside conventional emissions-reduction measures: for example initiatives aimed at improving integration to increase energy efficiency or at creating carbon sinks in coastal areas by Working with Nature.

As with other sectors, such innovation has the potential to bring associated social, employment and economic opportunities.

Monday, 08 November 2021 03:59

COP26: Climate and Sediment Management Pledge Published for Endorsement

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Climate Change and Sediment Management Pledge.

Climate change is an existential threat.  In the lead up to COP26, commitment to tackling the climate and ecological emergencies has never been greater. There is a need for urgent action, across all sectors, to decarbonise – while at the same time strengthening resilience and adapting to the changing climate.

Sediment managers – scientists and researchers, water managers, port and waterway operators, flood protection managers and similar, as well as those in the dredging and construction sector – all have an important role to play.

Sediments are an integral part of aquatic systems, the building block for natural habitats and an inherent component of many ecosystem services.  Sediments and their associated aquatic habitats – blue carbon stocks – also play a vital role in sequestering and storing carbon.

An outcome of the virtual workshop ‘Sediment management opportunities to address the climate change challenge’ hosted by Navigating a Changing Climate and SedNet (https://sednet.org/) is an ambitious but realistic – and very necessary – Sediment Management and Climate Change Pledge.

SedNet and the NavClimate partners ask organisations that recognise the importance of these issues and the need to work with these critical, inter-related natural processes, to endorse the pledge, and to work with us to identify and deliver solutions that benefit not only climate and nature, but also society and economy.

Many organisations are already (in the process of) endorsing this pledge. If your organisation is committed too and wish to have their logo added to the Pledge, please contact the SedNet Secretariat, confirming your endorsement of the Pledge and providing:

- your organisation’s name and logo

- the name and position of the person making this pledge

- your contact details if different from the above

The Pledge was launched on 8 November 2021 during COP26.

 

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