Top global ports may be unusable by 2050 without more climate action

<p> <br />
</p>
<div>
<div>
<img decoding="async" alt="Top global ports may be unusable by 2050 without more climate action – report" id="carouselImage" src="https://i-invdn-com.investing.com/trkd-images/LYNXMPEJ860ZA_L.jpg" style="visibility:hidden" /><br />
<span>© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A barge travels through the Houston Ship Channel, part of the Port of Houston, in Pasadena, Texas, U.S., May 5, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File photo</span><br />
<i class="imgGrad"/>
</div>
<p>By Jonathan Saul</p>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; Some of the world&#8217;s largest ports may be unusable by 2050 as rising sea levels hit operations, and efforts to speed up decarbonisation of the maritime sector and bring in new technology are vital, a study showed on Friday.</p>
<p>Weather-related disruptions are already impacting ports across the globe. These include a drought which is hampering operations in the Panama Canal, a top waterway. </p>
<p>The Global Maritime Trends 2050 report, commissioned by leading shipping services group Lloyd&#8217;s Register and the independent charity arm Lloyd&#8217;s Register Foundation, looked at future scenarios. </p>
<p>&#8220;Of the world’s 3,800 ports, a third are located in a tropical band vulnerable to the most powerful effects of climate change,&#8221; a Lloyd&#8217;s Register (LR) spokesperson said. </p>
<p>&#8220;The ports of Shanghai, Houston and Lazaro Cardenas (in Mexico), some of the world’s largest, could potentially be inoperable by 2050 with a rise in sea levels of only 40 cm.&#8221; </p>
<p>Other key ports including Rotterdam are already under pressure, the report said. </p>
<p>&#8220;Countries will need to invest in increasing the efficiency and resilience of their ports and logistics infrastructure to keep up with growing demand for imports and consumption,&#8221; the report said, which was authored by think tank Economist Impact.</p>
<p>Ports highly susceptible to rises in sea levels such as Shanghai could establish flood defence systems similar to Holland&#8217;s Maeslant Barrier and London’s Thames Barrier, the LR spokesperson said. </p>
<p>&#8220;This would negate the need to constantly raise existing floodwalls every decade, which is a short-term and costly solution,&#8221; the spokesperson added.</p>
<p>Shipping accounts for nearly 3% of global CO2 emissions.</p>
<p>The industry is actively cutting its emissions by reducing its fossil fuel consumption, the LR spokesperson said, adding that it remains fragmented. </p>
<p>&#8220;The average shipowner owns circa five ships. As a consequence, not all players are good at gathering data. There can also be a reluctance to share data. Forecasting relies on having access to solid and relevant datasets.&#8221;</p>
<p>The report was launched ahead London International Shipping Week, which starts on Sept. 11. </p>
</div>
<p><br />
<br /><a href="https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/top-global-ports-may-be-unusable-by-2050-without-more-climate-action–report-3170224">Source link </a></p><p>The post <a href="https://forextraderhub.com/top-global-ports-may-be-unusable-by-2050-without-more-climate-action.html">Top global ports may be unusable by 2050 without more climate action</a> first appeared on <a href="https://forextraderhub.com">Forex Trader Hub</a>.</p>