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A Critical Discussion on the Roles of Institutions on Ports’ Adaptation to the Impacts Posed by Climate Change

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Climate Change Adaptation in North America

Part of the book series: Climate Change Management ((CCM))

Abstract

Ports are increasingly vulnerable to the negative impacts posed by climate change, and thus port stakeholders have recently been engaged in different adaptation efforts. However, they find it difficult, if not impossible, to move up to the ‘next level’—often staying in the embryonic stage of knowledge sharing and exploration rather than actual planning and implementation of adaptation strategies and measures, and institutions play a significant role on such stagnancy. Understanding such, the article critically reviews the impacts of institutions on the process of climate adaptation planning. It specifically focuses on how institutional embeddedness acts as a significant barrier that hinders ports in progressing through the climate adaptation process. Also, it offers constructive insight on how the institutional structure of planning should be transformed so as to overcome such barriers.

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Acknowledgements

The University of Manitoba Transport Institute (UMTI) funds this study. The usual disclaimers apply.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Asper School of Business, Transport Institute, University of Manitoba, 181 Freedman Crescent, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 5V4, Canada

    Huiying Zhang, Adolf K. Y. Ng & Austin Becker

  2. Department of Supply Chain Management, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Huiying Zhang & Adolf K. Y. Ng

  3. Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA

    Austin Becker

Authors
  1. Huiying Zhang
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  2. Adolf K. Y. Ng
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  3. Austin Becker
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Correspondence to Huiying Zhang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Jesse M. Keenan

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Zhang, H., Ng, A.K.Y., Becker, A. (2017). A Critical Discussion on the Roles of Institutions on Ports’ Adaptation to the Impacts Posed by Climate Change. In: Leal Filho, W., Keenan, J. (eds) Climate Change Adaptation in North America. Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53742-9_7

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