Climate change and the adaptation strategies of ports: The Australian experiences

Being nodal points along supply chains, ports affected by climate change would create substantial costs to the global economy and welfare, and thus it is extremely important to ensure that ports can develop effective adaptation strategies. However, there are many uncertainties, as the dynamics between climate change and ports can diversify between different regions. Against this background, through exploratory case studies of four ports in Australia, this paper investigates climate change and the adaptation strategies of ports, with a special focus on port infrastructures and the day-to-day operational impacts. Research findings indicate that, while port managers recognize climate change as an issue which requires closer attention, adaptation strategies have remained segregated and piecemeal. This highlights the fact that effective adaptation solutions are not just about physical layouts and engineering projects, but the need to fundamentally transform the current management and planning practices of ports. It is a timely reminder to port policymakers and managers on the need to refine how effective decisions should be made for the challenges posed by climate changes in the future. In this regard, further research on this topic is urgently required.