Port resilience guidance, studies and tools can be useful for a wide range of practitioners but it can be hard to find the right one for the task at hand. We have assessed a wide range of tools, guidance documents and reports, which are listed below, mapped by the maritime resilience breakthroughs they support and the Port Resilience Framework for Action goals that they help to achieve.
Use the filters to break down the results by document type and community of practice.
IPCC
2023
This Synthesis Report (SYR) of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) summarises the state of knowledge of climate change, its widespread impacts and risks, and climate change mitigation and adaptation, based on the peer-reviewed scientific, technical and socio-economic literature since the publication of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) in 2014.
World Bank
2025
This report outlines the potential role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in ports, demonstrating how they can be integrated into port planning, design, and operations to address key challenges while enhancing climate resilience and delivering additional co-benefits.
Met Office
2018
The UKCP18 Marine report presents the latest climate projections for the marine environment in the United Kingdom. It includes comprehensive data on sea surface temperature, sea level rise, ocean circulation patterns, and marine ecosystems. The report assesses the potential impacts of climate change on marine industries, coastal areas, and biodiversity. It highlights the risks to coastal infrastructure, fisheries, and aquaculture. Adaptation strategies for the marine sector are emphasized, aiming to enhance resilience to changing conditions. The UKCP18 Marine report serves as a valuable tool for policymakers, businesses, and stakeholders to make informed decisions and develop effective measures to address climate challenges in the marine environment.
Boston Planning & Development Agency
2019
The Coastal Flood Resilience Design Guidelines provide comprehensive recommendations for creating resilient coastal infrastructure. The guidelines emphasize incorporating adaptable designs, natural features, and sustainable practices to mitigate the impacts of flooding events. Key elements include elevating structures above flood levels, using resilient materials, and implementing nature-based solutions like wetlands and dunes. Collaboration with local communities, data-driven risk assessments, and long-term planning are central to these guidelines, ensuring coastal areas can withstand and recover from flooding while safeguarding human safety, preserving ecosystems, and supporting sustainable development.
AIVP
2022
Port cities, facing climate change’s severe impacts, serve as testing grounds for innovative solutions in energy, industry, mobility, and culture. The AIVP Agenda 2030 outlines 10 key goals and 46 actionable measures for sustainable port cities. These goals align with multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing a holistic approach to sustainable development. AIVP aims to inspire port and city stakeholders to implement the Agenda 2030, optimizing investments and resources for a resilient, environmentally-friendly, and economically vibrant future.
PIANC
2023
PIANC’s Working Group 157 presents international best management practices in its guidelines to protect coastal plant habitats like mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass beds, and macroalgal communities during dredging and construction activities. These ecosystems play a crucial role in climate change mitigation, offering coastal protection and carbon storage. The guide emphasizes environmental monitoring, adaptive management, impact assessment, and techniques for minimizing, mitigating, or compensating damage. It also highlights habitat restoration and beneficial reuse of dredged materials. Crafted by a team of global experts, the guidelines incorporate case studies and aim to facilitate responsible environmental management in coastal plant habitats near dredging and construction sites worldwide, albeit without mandatory compliance.
PIANC
2023
This report updates the 2008 EnviCom Task Group 3 on Climate Change and Navigation by incorporating knowledge from various IPCC reports. It highlights key findings, including rising air and water temperatures leading to increased sea levels, more intense extreme weather events, and ongoing impacts even if greenhouse gas emissions cease. The report delves into how these changes affect maritime and inland navigation, encompassing factors like wind conditions, waves, storm patterns, hydrodynamics, and water quality. It also discusses navigation’s role in greenhouse gas emissions and its potential to aid in emission reduction efforts. Adaptation measures and resilience strengthening are emphasized.
PIANC
2023
This PIANC report addresses the need for innovative and sustainable approaches to manage dredged sediment in light of societal challenges like urbanization, environmental pressures, and climate change. It emphasizes the principles of Beneficial Use (BU) while recognizing the varying socio-economic, environmental, and legal conditions across regions. The report underscores the importance of evaluating BU potential diligently for sediment dredging projects, tailored to site-specific conditions. It outlines how dredged sediment can yield environmental, societal, and economic benefits, aiming to inform and promote BU practices on a global scale. Achieving these goals calls for a shift in perspectives, requiring collaborative planning among stakeholders for future BU projects.
US Army Corps of Engineers
2013
Coastal areas are especially vulnerable to hazards, now and in the future, posed by waves and surges associated with sea level change and coastal storms. Coastal risk reduction can be achieved through a variety of approaches, including natural or nature-based features (e.g., wetlands and dunes), nonstructural interventions (e.g., policies, building codes and emergency response such as early warning and evacuation plans), and structural interventions (e.g., seawalls and breakwaters). This paper discusses USACEs capabilities to help reduce coastal risks from and improve resilience to these hazards through an integrated approach that draws from the full array of coastal risk reduction measures.
Resilience Rising
2022
Through this program, Resilience Rising aim to mobilize a critical mass to create the scale and momentum necessary to break through the industrys barriers to resilience. The program will improve the resilience practice across the ports value chain by bringing together stakeholders and a community of practitioners around a common framework to raise awareness and strengthen relationships, create a shared understanding of the needs and challenges, and clarify and connect decision-making and investment that can be taken to scale.
Race to Resilience
2022
The Adaptation and Resilience Breakthroughs report highlights the urgent need to accelerate global efforts in adaptation and resilience ahead of COP27. While progress in mitigating climate change is essential, the report emphasizes that it is insufficient to prevent climate devastation. The Breakthroughs aim to achieve system-level transformations and measurable outcomes by 2030, focusing on key impact areas such as climate-resilient agriculture, food security, water and nature conservation, climate-smart energy, and improved urban planning. The report calls for radical collaboration among various stakeholders, including non-state actors, to implement transformative solutions and align with the Race to Resilience campaign’s goal of making 4 billion vulnerable people more resilient by 2030.
Resilience Rising, Arup, Lloyds Register, Race to Resilience
2022
The Maritime Resilience Breakthroughs aim to enhance resilience in the maritime sector, particularly focusing on ports. As a major contributor to greenhouse gases, the industry faces challenges from climate change and geopolitical uncertainty. Resilience efforts target climate-adapting ports, taking specific actions to factor in climate risks. Achieving breakthroughs requires a whole system approach involving collaboration among stakeholders, policy makers, and local communities. The initiative, including the Resilience4Ports Lab, seeks to build port resilience by COP27. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure the sector can adapt to changing conditions and recover from shocks, benefiting both ports and coastal communities.
SedNet and Navigating a Changing Climate
2021
The Joint SedNet-Navigating a Changing Climate Workshop, held on February 10th-11th, 2021, focused on sediment management’s significance in addressing climate change challenges. The outcomes highlighted the role of sediments as carbon sinks, aiding in greenhouse gas mitigation. Proper sediment management in coastal areas can enhance carbon storage, reduce emissions, and bolster coastal resilience against erosion while promoting ecosystem health. The workshop emphasized the importance of recognizing and implementing sustainable sediment management strategies to harness their potential for climate change mitigation and create more resilient environments.
PIANC
2020
PIANC’s “Resilience of the Maritime and Inland Waterborne Transport System” provides a comprehensive overview of enhancing resilience in the transport sector. The document highlights the importance of mitigating risks and building adaptive capacity to withstand disruptions caused by natural disasters, climate change, and other shocks. It explores various resilience strategies, including infrastructure planning, risk assessment, emergency response measures, and adaptive governance. By fostering collaboration among stakeholders and incorporating resilience principles into decision-making, the guidance aims to create a robust and adaptable maritime and inland waterborne transport system that can effectively cope with challenges and ensure continued operation and sustainability in the face of uncertainties.