Efforts to address climate change and manage its impacts increasingly depend on logistics, yet policymakers and researchers often underestimate its role. A new paper by Prof. Alan McKinnon from Kuehne Logistics University identifies eight key roles logistics plays in the climate crisis, ranging from being both a contributor to and a victim of climate change to its roles in decarbonization, adaptation, carbon sequestration, humanitarian aid, and even geo-engineering.
If logistics were a country, 12% of CO2 would be third in the emission league table behind China and the United States.
Logistical activities are significant emitters of GHGs. The ITF and IEA calculations indicate that freight movement by all transport modes at different geographical scales represented 9.7% of total energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019. No comparable modeling has been undertaken at a global level for warehousing and freight terminals. McKinnon analyzed that storage and handling operations add roughly 1.5 to 2% to the freight transport emission estimate, giving logistics an aggregate share of approximately 12% of energy-related CO2.
Prof. Alan McKinnon evaluates the current understanding of logistics’ involvement in these climate-related activities by reviewing various interdisciplinary literature. Many of these roles will demand significant material and transportation resources, pushing the limits of logistical capacity and complicating the sector’s ability to achieve Net Zero emission goals.
Prof. Alan McKinnon also explores the interconnections between logistics’ climate-specific functions, highlighting potential conflicts and synergies. In conclusion, Prof. Alan McKinnon for expanding the scope of logistics research on climate issues and fostering stronger collaboration with climate science, environmental studies, and related fields:
- Assessing the feasibility and cost of climate actions: Many climate actions, such as adaptation, carbon sequestration, and geo-engineering, are in the early stages, and their logistical needs are still unclear. Logistics expertise can help clarify their practicality, budgeting, and externalities.
- Estimating the impact of logistics on freight volumes: Current freight models don’t account for future demands related to building renewable energy infrastructure, adaptation, or carbon removal. These activities are freight-intensive, and their logistical impacts need to be quantified in future models.
- Optimizing climate-related supply chains: Tools used in commercial supply chain optimization can be adapted for climate-related chains, such as those for climate adaptation, carbon sequestration, and electrifying freight transport.
- Understanding logistics in climate-related mega-trends: The shift from in-store retail to online shopping changes how goods are transported. While e-fulfillment may reduce carbon emissions in some cases, models suggest it could also increase global transport emissions by 4% by 2050. The net impact depends on the role of logistics and needs further study.
- Exploring new environmental business opportunities: As logistics expands its role in the climate crisis, new business opportunities arise, such as transporting materials for carbon removal or synthetic fuels. The logistics sector could also benefit from shorter Arctic shipping routes due to reduced ice cover, though this may worsen environmental issues in the region.
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