PIANC Panama - Agenda

There is international scientific consensus that anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs)[1] have and will continue to contribute to changes in the global climate. Although there is uncertainty concerning the magnitude, rate, and ultimate effects of this change, it is generally accepted that climate change will result in a number of substantial adverse environmental impacts. In 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) began releasing components of its Fifth Assessment Report,[2] providing a comprehensive assessment of climate change science. The Fifth Assessment Report states that there is a scientific consensus that the global increases in GHGs since 1750 are mainly due to human activities such as fossil fuel use, land use change (e.g., deforestation), and agriculture. In addition, the report states that it is likely that these changes in GHG concentrations have contributed to global warming.

The Paris Agreement[3], developed at COP21 in December 2015, is an international agreement among parties in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The central aim of the Paris Agreement is to maintain the global temperature rise in the 21^st century below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Furthermore, the Paris Agreement provides for increased transparency, requires all Parties to maintain and communicate “nationally determined contributions” that they intend to achieve, and aims to erect financial and technology frameworks for reaching the climate goals it puts forth. The agreement addresses a range of areas necessary to combat climate change, including a long-term temperature goal, global peaking of GHG emissions, mitigation, and a “global stocktake” every five years.

Given this context, there is growing regulatory interest globally in managing the GHG emissions, or “carbon footprint”, of industrial activities to respond to climate change. Effective carbon management involves steps to reduce and offset GHG emissions and sequester carbon. While the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the UNFCCC has recently spent efforts to reach agreement on a global approach to reduce international shipping GHG emissions, there has been much less focus on the infrastructure that supports waterborne transport. PIANC and its partners in the Think Climate coalition are working to fill this gap.[4] Taking proactive steps to effectively manage carbon will help the navigation sector: 1) comply with emerging regulatory requirements, 2) respond to general stakeholder and public pressure to reduce environmental burdens, 3) take a leadership role in carbon management practices, and 4) drive innovation and investment while influencing future practice and regulation.⁵ In addition, there are unique opportunities to reduce and offset emissions from waterways navigation infrastructure development, including dredging and the beneficial use of dredged sediments, which need to be addressed in any carbon management framework.

PIANC’s Work Group (WG) 188 on Carbon Management for Port and Navigation Infrastructure is tasked by PIANC[5] to review and report on the technical literature related to the carbon footprint of navigation infrastructure and supporting activities, provide guidance on applying life cycle analysis and related assessment tools and techniques, and investigate opportunities for reducing atmospheric GHGs through operational practices, Working with Nature, land use management, blue carbon projects, and related environmental management. In this talk, WG188 progress on the development of new guidance on carbon management framework considerations for navigation infrastructure and example case studies will be discussed.