Climate Change and the Adaptation Planning of …umanitoba.ca/.../management/ti/media/docs/NG_Wangconference_ppt.pdfClimate Change and the Adaptation Planning of Inland Port and Rail

Presented by Tianni Wang Dept. of Supply Chain Management,

University of Manitoba

Climate Change and the Adaptation Planning of Inland Port and Rail Infrastructures in the Province of Manitoba in Canada —Tianni Wang, Spenser Samsom, Dr. Adolf K.Y. Ng, Dr. Paul Earl

Presentation Contents

1.  Introduction 2. Research Process and Methodology 3. CentrePort Canada 4. Hudson Bay Railway 5. Discussion and Recommendation 6. Conclusion

Introduction

Ø The Province of Manitoba in Canada •  Centre of North America & important

transportation system •  General climate tendency: warmer and wetter

winters, together with longer, drier and hotter summers (Kyoto and Beyond, 2001)

•  Uncertain prediction: dramatic and frequent climate change (e.g., flooding and melting permafrost) and extreme weather (e.g., storms, tornadoes and hurricanes)

Introduction

Ø The Port Supply Chain—CentrePort Canada & the Hudson Bay Railway

•  Risks (flooding) and uncertainties (the extreme weather events) on CentrePort

•  A double-edged sword: threats (e.g., melting permafrost) and opportunities (e.g., longer shipping season) on Hudson Bay Railway

•  Strategic Adaptation planning for climate change is necessary and significant

Research Process and Methodology

Ø Qualitative Research Method •  Two in-depth case studies on CentrePort (an

inland terminal) and the Hudson Bay Railway •  Seven semi-structured, in-depth interviews:

five face-to-face and two telephone interviews •  A within-case analysis and cross-case

analysis (Miles and Huberman,1984; Yin, 2003 )

•  A diverse data source: interview data and archival data for triangulation

The potential impacts of climate change in Manitoba

(Source: Government of Manitoba, 2014 maps.com）

CentrePort Canada Ø Risk—flooding in Manitoba (1800s, 1950, 1997,

2009 and 2011) •  Highway 75 closure, SC disruption •  Manitoba government placed huge investment

in flood control, e.g., Red River Floodway (Manitoba government website, 2013)

•  Forecasting (e.g., by Hydrological Forecast Centre) and strong emergency management system (EMO and MIT)

•  Dilemmas include predicting difficulties, long-term returns

CentrePort Canada Ø Uncertainties •  More extreme events impact port operation

(e.g., tornadoes, heavy storms, extreme cold events)(Manitoba Government website, 2014)

•  Variable ecological condition increases the severity of flooding risks

•  Significantly less snow cover affects port’s business

•  Indirect impacts from other jurisdictions in the SC

CentrePort Canada Ø Current plans •  Tomorrow now: Manitoba’s green plan •  CentrePort and government: No specific

adaptation plans for climate change Ø Adaptation planning •  Necessary:meet demand of port’s five-year plan

& sustainable development of whole society •  Good resources:funding and infra assistances

from government and cooperating entities, academic research and discussions

Hudson Bay Railway

Ø Climate change: A double-edged sword •  Opportunities: longer shipping seasons and

access to previously impassable waterways (Northwest Passage)(Bello, 2014)—hard to achieve due to insurance restrictions

•  Challenges: permanently frozen peatland becomes unstable and permafrost becomes active with temperature rise (Weather Underground, 2014)

Hudson Bay Railway

Ø Resulting Impacts •  Unstable railway: Recent derailments caused

supply chain interruptions and delayed shipments to Northern communities

•  Unreliable railway: Slower travel speed is required due to uneven and heaving track

Hudson Bay Railway Ø Current plans •  OmniTRAX and Provincial and Federal

Governments:invested $110 million and $40 million in recent track upgrades

•  OmniTRAX and the Churchill Gateway Development Corp:no formal adaptation plans for climate change

Ø Adaptation plan—two basic solutions •  Remove the peatland that makes up the layer of

permafrost—expensive & impractical •  Lift the track and laying an insulating bed of

gravel (Bello, 2014)—might reduce negative impacts

Discussion and Recommendation Ø Common Issues •  Most pressing issue: financial constraint (a

negotiation between the public and private sector on who pays for reducing risks in what percentage)

•  Lacking institutional guidelines •  How could high-level knowledge be downscaled

into corporate plans and businesses? •  How to reduce the trade-offs among different

stakeholders and maximize benefits of them? •  How to achieve high public participation?

Discussion and Recommendation

Ø Recommendation: a five-part approach •  Increasing awareness and understanding of the

impacts of climate change & making specific guidelines

•  Promoting transparency and openness in sharing information

•  Balancing and prioritizing the trade-offs in SC •  Drawing adaptation plans of similar inland

ports •  Realizing all-parties’ involvement in decision-

making process

Conclusion

SC interruption, impacts on port operation and economy

Longer shipping season, new pathway, unstable and unreliable railway

Risks and uncertainties & threats and opportunities

Flooding, extreme weather, less snow recover, indirect impacts from SC

Thawing permanently frozen peatland, active permafrost in summer

Climate change impacts and adaptation in Manitoba—two in-depth case studies

CentrePort Canada Hudson Bay Railway

Adaptation planning for climate change

CentrePort Canada: necessary with good resources Hudson Bay Railway: lifting the track and laying an insulting bed of gravel

Recommendation: a five-part approach

Common issues: finance, guidelines, knowledge,trade-offs, public participation

References •  Bello (2014). Message to the author. 11 Aug. 2014. •  Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in

psychology, 3(2), 77-101. •  Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2013) Churchill oil line risky. Retrieved August 17, 2014,

from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/churchill-oil-line-risky-manitoba-group-says-1.1409908

•  Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2014) Via Rail cancels trains to Churchill. Retrieved June 25, 2014, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/via-rail-cancels-trains-to-churchill-after-derailment-1.2663265

•  Few, R., Brown, K., & Tompkins, E. L. (2007). Public participation and climate change adaptation: avoiding the illusion of inclusion. Climate policy,7(1), 46-59.

•  Government of Manitoba (2014). Climate change & green initiatives: How will climate change affect Manitoba? Retrieved August 20, 2014, from

•  http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/climate/climate_effect.html •  Government of Manitoba (2014). Flood information: History of flood in Manitoba. Retrieved August

20, 2014, from

•  http://www.gov.mb.ca/flooding/history/index.html •  Government of Manitoba (2014): ‘How will climate change affect Manitoba?’ accessible at:

http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/climate/climate_effect.html •  Government of Winnipeg (2014). EmergWed: Action plan. Retrieved August 20, 2014, from

http://www.winnipeg.ca/emergweb/ActionPlan/SevereStorms.stm

References •  Government of Manitoba (2013). Flood fighting in Manitoba. Retrieved August 20, 2014, from

http://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/spring_outlook/flood_fighting_2013.pdf •  Gummesson, E. (1991). Qualitative methods in management research, 1991. •  Handfield, R. B., Ragatz, G. L., Peterson, K., & Monczka, R. M. (1999). Involving suppliers in

new product development?. California management review, 42, 59-82. •  IISD, I. SEI, 2003: Livelihoods and Climate Change: Combining Disaster Risk Reduction. Natural

Resource Management and Climate Change Adaptation in a New Approach to the Reduction of Vulnerability and Poverty. International Institute for Sustainable Development, Winnipeg, Canada, viii.

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•  Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1984). Qualitative data analysis: A sourcebook of new methods. In Qualitative data analysis: a sourcebook of new methods: Qualitative data analysis: a sourcebook of new methods. Sage publications.

•  OmniTRAX Canada (2014), Telephone interview. 20 Aug 2014. •  Owen, A. C. (2012). Industrial and nutritional hemp In Manitoba: A case study exploring

stakeholder strategies and legitimacy (Doctoral dissertation, Humboldt State University). •  Kyoto and Beyond: A Plan of Action to Meet and Exceed Manitoba’s Kyoto Targets (2001). •  Riva Harrison (2004), CentrePort Canada. In-person interview, 15 July 2014. •  Smith, J. V. (1998). Adapting to climate variability and change in Ontario: volume IV of the

Canada Country Study: Climate Impacts and Adaptation (Vol. 4). Environment Canada, Ontario Region.

References

•  Terry Duguid (2004), University of Winnipeg. In-person interview. 31 July 2014. •  Terry Zdan (2004), Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT). In-person interview. 24 July

2014. •  Weather Underground (2014). Permafrost in a warming world. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from

http://www.wunderground.com/resources/climate/melting_permafrost.asp •  Willows, R., Reynard, N., Meadowcroft, I., & Connell, R. (2003). Climate adaptation: Risk,

uncertainty and decision-making. UKCIP Technical Report. UK Climate Impacts Programme. •  Winnipeg Free Press (2014) Northbound freight service resumes after derailment. Retrieved June

25, 2014, from http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Northbound-rail-service-resumes-after-derailment-262801151.html

•  Workshop: presented by University of Manitoba Transportation Institute for Manitoba Government and Transportation Services in February 2013, Winnipeg, from http://www.umti.ca

•  Yin, 2003. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.