LOGISTICS
Forward-thinking – AV Dawson ’ s Port of Middlesbrough has the environment at the forefront of its strategic plan .
DRIVING FORWARD
AV Dawson has won awards for innovative solutions to offset carbon emissions – but the logistics industry faces major challenges to reach net zero
Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the last couple of years , you can ’ t have escaped the subject of the environment .
In fact , the alarm bells of our impending climate disaster have been ringing for many years , and thanks to the pioneering efforts of Sir David Attenborough and climate activists such as Greta Thunberg , we are finally waking up to the realisation that the world in which we live is in danger .
The conclusion of the recent COP26 UN Climate Change Conference has now brought into sharp focus the reality that we have to act before we irreparably destroy our planet .
Climate change isn ’ t a new phenomenon . In fact , the rise in greenhouse gases , most significantly carbon dioxide , resulting in heat being trapped in our atmosphere , has been happening for more than 150 years , since the birth of the industrial revolution .
However , this has sped up in recent years as we became overly reliant on the burning of fossil fuels to create energy to power our new technological era .
It ’ s a double-edged sword when it comes to the logistics sector and climate change – logistics is being impacted by the effects of climate change , but at the same time logistics is a major contributor to the causes of climate change .
In one respect , logistics relies on stability , and climate change is the nemesis of stability . The deterioration of the climate is causing a rise in sea levels and extreme weather events are becoming a more frequent occurrence .
Changes in weather systems can ultimately affect maritime traffic and the shipping routes that are crucial to supply chains .
The impact can also be felt on dry land , and adverse weather , flooding , high winds and storms can significantly
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