Climate change adaptation in the port industry: Evaluating evidence of implemented adaptation using a national adaptation inventory

Ports provide critical infrastructure services, supporting global trade, economic growth and development. Owing to their exposed coastal locations, ports are expected to face increasing climate-related risks, such as sea-level rise (SLR) and changes in storminess. However, there is a gap in current literature evaluating how ports are addressing climate-related risks through implementation of adaptation actions. This study explores if, and how, some of the largest commercial ports in the UK are adapting to risk in practice. Evidence of implemented adaptation action is extracted from Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP) reports, as mandated under the UK Climate Change Act 2008. Evidence of incremental adaptation was identified, in response to an increasingly diverse range of perceived climate-related risks. However, uncertainty around future changes in some climate-related risks, and different risk perceptions, meant ports were also coming to different judgements on when and how they should adapt. A discord between short and longer-term planning was also identified. Consequently, there remains the need to shift thinking from business-as-usual towards a more systematic and integrated consideration of short- and longer-term climate risks, adaptation and wider benefits to support decision making. This would align with a more transformational adaptation approach. This could include exploiting the renewal and investment cycle so new port infrastructure is climate-proofed when constructed. The framework presented here, to identify, catalogue and evaluate implemented adaptation actions in the UK, could be applied to other regions. This would provide a more comprehensive picture of how ports are implementing adaptation globally.