In 2015, the European Investment Bank invested EUR 20.7bn in climate action projects, bringing their total climate-related spend for 2011-2015 to EUR 90.5bn including EUR 10.3bn on lower carbon and climate-friendly transport.

The UK newspaper The Guardian cites research by Princeton University, USA, in reporting that Hurricane Sandy-level flooding is "rising so sharply it could become normal". An analysis of past storms and models of future events as the planet warms has shown that Sandy-like floods have already become three times more common in the New York area since 1800. This frequency is set to climb further, from once every 400 years to once every 90 years by 2100, due to the effects of sea level rise alone.

Photp: David Shankbone / CC-BY

The Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) declaration was signed on 13th December 2014. This Agenda set out to mobilise global action on climate by supporting existing initiatives and providing a platform for the visibility of stakeholder actions, commitments and results in the run up to the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) meetings held in Paris, France, in December 2015. 

Navigating a Changing Climate was one of 14 initiatives initially developed through the Transport Focus of the LPAA under the leadership of the Paris Process on Mobility and Climate (PPMC) as illustrated above. There are now more than 20 transport related initiatives.

In line with the LPAA objectives, a variety of actors (the Navigating a Changing Climate partners) worked together to build a concrete, ambitious and lasting cooperative initiative supported by a time-bound roadmap for implementation (the Navigating a Changing Climate Action Plan).

Since 2016, the Navigating a Changing Climate initiative has continued to participate in the transport theme of the Global Climate Action Agenda in preparation for the COP22 meetings in Marrakech and onwards to Bonn, Katowice, Santiago de Chile and beyond.

 

The partners in the Navigating a Changing Climate Partnership share a single vision.

We want to see a responsible, well-informed and innovative sector where the owners, operators and users of inland and maritime waterborne transport infrastructure in all countries:

• are aware of the issues associated with navigating a changing climate, and of the need to act now


• have access to existing and new, sector-specific technical and institutional resources aimed at facilitating climate change mitigation and adaptation


• have developed the capacity to make timely and effective decisions on mitigation and adaptation options, and


• collaborate with others within and beyond the sector to identify and deliver integrated, resilient and sustainable solutions, with an emphasis on Working with Nature.

Please download the Action Plan below, which sets out the objectives of the Navigating a Changing Climate initiative and summarises the activities being undertaken by the partnership.

Navigating a Changing Climate is a multi-stakeholder coalition of nine associations with interests in waterborne transport infrastructure.

 

The Partners comprise of:

• The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC)
• International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH)
• International Harbour Masters’ Association (IHMA)
• International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA)
• Smart Freight Centre (SFC)
• European Dredging Association (EuDA)
• European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO)
• Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST)
• Inland Waterways International (IWI)

Through an unprecedented collaboration, the partners in PIANC’s Navigating a Changing Climate Partnership have committed to work together to support the inland and maritime navigation infrastructure sector as they respond to climate change.

By furthering understanding, providing targeted technical support, and building capacity, the partnership will encourage the owners, operators and users of waterborne transport infrastructure to:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift to low carbon maritime and inland navigation infrastructure
• Act urgently to strengthen resilience and improve preparedness to adapt to the changing climate