{"id":24656,"date":"2017-11-15T18:29:33","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T23:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/big-nightmare-for-the-big-easy-the-effect-of-climate-change-on-the-port-of-new-orleans\/"},"modified":"2017-11-15T18:29:33","modified_gmt":"2017-11-15T23:29:33","slug":"big-nightmare-for-the-big-easy-the-effect-of-climate-change-on-the-port-of-new-orleans","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/big-nightmare-for-the-big-easy-the-effect-of-climate-change-on-the-port-of-new-orleans\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Nightmare for the Big Easy: The Effect of Climate Change on the Port of New Orleans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans captured the nation\u2019s attention as it dealt with the far-reaching impacts of the deadly storm.\u00a0 Outside of the human error involved in the faulty engineering of New Orleans\u2019 failed levee system, one of the primary focus items was the future vulnerabilities that would continue to plague the city\u2019s infrastructure due to shifting climate activity.<\/p>\n<p>Rising sea levels and more frequent and severe storms resulting from climate change are existential threats to our nation at large, but the danger is especially acute for our country\u2019s ports, particularly those in the Gulf Coast area.\u00a0 The Port of New Orleans (\u201cPort\u201d), located at the mouth of the Mississippi River and on the Gulf of Mexico, is the 16<sup>th<\/sup> largest port in the U.S. by cargo capacity\u00a0<a href=\"#_edn1\" name=\"_ednref1\">[1]<\/a> and a major facilitator of the transportation of the nation\u2019s imports and exports.\u00a0 Given its critical importance to the U.S. economy and domestic and international supply chains, the Port must actively prepare for the impact climate change will have on its operations in the years to come.\u00a0 According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (\u201cEPA\u201d)\u00a0<a href=\"#_edn2\" name=\"_ednref2\">[2]<\/a>, the number of risks ports face related to climate change include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Changes in Water Levels<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Ports may become less navigable due to volatility in sea levels <a href=\"#_edn2\" name=\"_ednref2\">[2]<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Higher sea levels may require new methods to prevent breaching of contaminated industrial land in the area <a href=\"#_edn2\" name=\"_ednref2\">[2]<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ports may need to increase infrastructure heights based on anticipated water levels <a href=\"#_edn2\" name=\"_ednref2\">[2]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stronger and More Frequent Storm Events<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The Port is vulnerable to river floods that shut down traffic on the Mississippi River and delay shipping operations\u00a0<a href=\"#_edn3\" name=\"_ednref3\">[3]<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Stronger wave action, more intense winds and higher storm surges can severely damage the structural integrity of bridges, wharfs, and piers, terminal buildings, ships, and cargo\u00a0<a href=\"#_edn2\" name=\"_ednref2\">[2]<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Increased precipitation could result in amplified erosion and buildup of underwater silt, potentially decreasing channel depth <a href=\"#_edn2\" name=\"_ednref2\">[2]<\/a><\/li>\n<li>The loss of coastal lands, which serve as critical hurricane and storm buffers, further accelerates the impact of storm activities <a href=\"#_edn2\" name=\"_ednref2\">[2]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Port authorities struggle with how to address these concerns, given the uncertainty of timing and scale associated with climate change.\u00a0 In the near and medium term, the Port is responding to the threat of climate change by examining its own contribution to the problem.\u00a0 The Port is participating in the \u201cResilient New Orleans\u201d climate change strategy, which, spearheaded by the Mayor\u2019s office, aspires to reduce the city\u2019s annual greenhouse gas pollution by 50% by 2030\u00a0<a href=\"#_edn4\" name=\"_ednref4\">[4]<\/a>.\u00a0 According to the Mayor\u2019s office, \u201cthe [Port recently calculated its own greenhouse gas emissions inventory\u2026 [and] has also been increasing operational efficiency and reducing its environmental impact through a voluntary program called Green Marine and a clean-diesel program with the EPA.\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"#_edn4\" name=\"_ednref4\">[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Additionally, the Port system is working with the State of Louisiana\u2019s Coastal Master Plan to address accelerating rates of coastal land loss, which eliminates much of the natural storm protections from which the Port currently benefits.\u201d <a href=\"#_edn4\" name=\"_ednref4\">[4]<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Figure 1: Port of New Orleans\u2019 Participation in the EPA\u2019s Green Marine Program to Date <a href=\"#_edn4\" name=\"_ednref4\">[4]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/Climate.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-24648\" src=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/Climate-300x223.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"379\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/Climate-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/Climate-600x446.png 600w, https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/Climate.png 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 379px) 100vw, 379px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While it is commendable that the Port is working towards minimizing its own contribution to the overall climate change problem, the organization must take a more active approach to adapting its operations for changes that are already inevitable. Studies show that over the next 15 years, higher sea levels combined with storm surge will likely increase the average annual cost of coastal storms along the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico by $2.0 &#8211; $3.5 billion. <a href=\"#_edn5\" name=\"_ednref5\">[5]<\/a>\u00a0 In an effort to mitigate these costs and protect the current operations of the Port system, I recommend the Port take the following steps in the near to medium term:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Form an internal working group to focus on climate change adaptation and develop strategic plans for capital improvements<\/li>\n<li>Construct a protective sea wall beyond the natural coastal protections to shield the coastal land and Port infrastructure from the impact of increased storm surge<\/li>\n<li>Raise current docks, terminals and warehouses to heights that satisfy scientific predictions of the expected sea level rise within the next 50 years (may need another project at that time)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Of course, it is easy to suggest what may seem like obvious action items, but then the resulting questions become: how will the Port fund these capital-intensive solutions?\u00a0 Will the residents of Louisiana be amenable to increasing their tax burden to help pay for the protection of the Port? Can the Port expect any involvement or support from their business partners in these expensive efforts? \u00a0(Word Count: 747)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref1\" name=\"_edn1\"><\/a><strong>ENDNOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_edn1\" name=\"_ednref1\">[1]<\/a>\u00a0\u201cNAFTA Region Container Traffic 2016 Port Ranking by TEUs\u201d, American Association of Port Authorities, http:\/\/aapa.files.cms-plus.com\/Statistics\/NAFTA%20REGION%20CONTAINER%20 TRAFFIC% 20PORT%20RANKING%202016_T3.pdf, accessed November 2017.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref2\" name=\"_edn2\">[2]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u201cPlanning for Climate Change Impacts at U.S. Ports\u201d, United States Environmental Protection Agency, https:\/\/archive.epa.gov\/sectors\/web\/pdf\/ports-planing-for-cci-white-paper.pdf, July 2008.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref3\" name=\"_edn3\">[3]<\/a> \u201cWhat Climate Change Means for Louisiana\u201d, United States Environmental Protection Agency, https:\/\/19january2017snapshot.epa.gov\/sites\/production\/files\/2016-09\/documents\/climate-change-la.pdf, August 2016.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref4\" name=\"_edn4\">[4]<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u201cClimate Action for a Resilient New Orleans\u201d, City of New Orleans, https:\/\/www.nola.gov\/nola\/media\/ Climate-Action\/Climate-Action-for-a-Resilient-New-Orleans.pdf, July 2017.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ednref5\" name=\"_edn5\">[5]<\/a> \u201cRisky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States\u201d.\u00a0 Risky Business Project, page 3, June 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rising sea levels and more frequent and severe storms resulting from climate change are threatening the integrity and existence of our nation&#8217;s coastal land and infrastructure &#8211; and the Port of New Orleans is no exception.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9925,"featured_media":24749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[1505,3629,3644,3855,3856,1062,164],"class_list":["post-24656","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cargo-shipping","category-climate-change-and-supply-chains","category-gulf-of-mexico","category-mississippi-river","category-port","category-shipping","category-transportation","hck-taxonomy-organization-port-of-new-orleans","hck-taxonomy-industry-transportation","hck-taxonomy-country-united-states"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/rc-tom-challenge-2017\/","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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