With the UNFCCC’s COP26 Climate Change meetings being hosted in Glasgow, Scotland in late 2021, PIANC UK was delighted to have the opportunity to showcase the recent PIANC Working Group 178 guidance on Climate Change Adaptation Planning for Ports and Inland Waterways in two separate events. Jan Brooke, the UK representative on EnviCom and the Chair of PIANC’s Permanent Task Group on Climate Change, was invited to present this guidance at:
- Practical Climate Change Adaptation Solutions for Ports, 2nd and 3rd November in the International Maritime Hub. This conference featured presentations from port, harbour master and pilot representatives from UK, USA, Argentina, Canada, South Africa, Spain, The Netherlands, Dubai, Malaysia and Australia. The programme, PPTs and event recordings are all available at https://www.maritimeuk.org/imh-2021/imh-events/practical-climate-change-adaptation-challenges-and-good-practice-solutions-ports/. PIANC EnviCom’s Marika Calfas and Gerardo Bessone were also among the speakers at this event
- Future-proofing transport: design codes and standards – why do they matter and how can they evolve? 10th November in the Blue Zone Resilience Hub. This event included presentations from across the transport sector (road, rail, waterborne) on the development and application of standards, guidance documents, codes, etc. Recording available at https://cop-resilience-hub.org/cop26-event-videos/ (scroll down to 10th November events)
And moving to PIANC’s WG 176 report on Working with Nature, Nature-Based Solutions were also high on the agenda at COP26, with numerous events on the topic – including Pioneering Nature Based Solutions for Resilient Infrastructure (another Blue Zone Resilience Hub event, on 5th November). This session marked the release of the white paper on ‘Governance of Infrastructure for Resilience’ from Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Resilience Shift – see https://www.resilienceshift.org/publication/governance-of-infrastructure-for-resilience/.
Jan Brooke, PTGCC Chair
Navigating a Changing Climate update
The UNFCCC Global Climate Action Initiative Navigating a Changing Climate was also active at COP26, with both PIANC’s outgoing Focal Point (Jan Brooke, 2015-2021) and Mark Button, The Resilience Shift’s incoming Focal Point, present.
Navigating a Changing Climate is a global, multi-stakeholder partnership of associations with interests in waterborne transport infrastructure that work together to support the sector as it responds to climate change. More than 50 supporter organisations are also committed to the partnership’s aims.
To date, Navigating a Changing Climate’s work has included the creation of a website providing a one-stop shop climate change resource for the sector https://navclimate.pianc.org/; the organisation of an international conference and many other sector-specific climate change mitigation and adaptation events; the publication of several technical good practice guidance documents; and much more.
As PIANC hands over the lead of the initiative to The Resilience Shift, a new multi-year Action Plan will be developed and implemented to progress the urgent parallel agendas of climate change mitigation and adaptation. This new Action Plan will bring together the climate-related activities being undertaken by each of the partner associations as well as shaping new collaborative initiatives to ensure a joined-up approach to delivering the transformational action required of the sector.
PIANC will continue to contribute to the Navigating a Changing Climate objectives via its technical guidance documents and events organised by members of the Permanent Task Group on Climate Change (PTGCC).
- COP26 sediment management pledge
One of the specific contributions made to the COP26 process by Navigating a Changing Climate was the development, with SedNet, of the COP26 Sediment Management Pledge (see https://sednet.org/climate-change-and-sediment-management-pledge/).
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. Sediment managers – including port authorities and dredging and construction companies (i.e. many PIANC members) – can therefore make a significant contribution to addressing the climate change challenge.
The COP26 Sediment Management Pledge sets out a series of actions that sediment managers can take to identify and deliver solutions that benefit not only climate and nature, but also society and economy. SedNet and the NavClimate partners ask organisations that recognise the importance of these issues to endorse the pledge. Details about how your organisation can do this can be found via the above link.
Jan Brooke, Outgoing PIANC Focal Point for Navigating a Changing Climate
