Fighting poverty

Take Covid, which has highlighted the gap between rich and poor. Readers will recall that the countries without historical investment in infrastructure struggled to keep their schools and businesses afloat through the switch to digital.

But from a crisis comes the opportunity to learn and grow. Leaders now are beginning to roll out their plans to rebuild better, laying down infrastructure and policy that meets the needs of society’s most vulnerable and avoids making existing inequalities worse.

For sustainable businesses, this is no different. The looming challenges of the environment can be looked at through the lens of climate justice. This means considering the challenges of society’s most vulnerable as we upgrade and decarbonise the way we work. Fortunately, there is time for the port industry to modernise and adapt to climate change while ensuring nobody is left behind.

As it stands, the growing impact of climate change on ports and coastal areas will affect some more than others. As droughts prompt mass migration in western Africa, African Americans will also bear the brunt of flooding, sea-level rises and storms in coastal regions. Overlooked communities around the world stand to suffer the most from poor planning and infrastructure.

Likewise, with one third of the world’s ports set in areas prone to tropical storms, it will increasingly be operators and crew who struggle to adapt to rising temperatures, heat stress and pollution. Businesses here must step up to redress the needs and fears of staff expected to perform under changing conditions.

Fair focus

GreenPort readers will be familiar with the Scottish government’s bid to build the sustainable Forth Ports, rewarding those who foster fair practices. This is encouraging. But the challenge will be to develop responsibly, consulting with local working communities to ensure a ‘just transition’ to a greener future. As crisis invites reform, we must ensure that we don’t drown out the voices of the forgotten.

Those introducing sustainable technology to their ports must ensure that appropriate workforces have fair opportunity to retrain and redeploy, embracing the diversity of the workforce: access to reskilling, finances, time to study, and so on. As green ports digitise or make remote administrative roles, many worry that automation will cause mass unemployment in some communities.

Decision makers will also have to keep pace with a changing climate that puts the most strain on the front line. Partnerships and dialogue will be key to helping up – and not pushing down – operators and local businesses most at risk.

It has been exciting to read about the different ways ports are pushing to improve the sustainability of their business. Evidently, the range of innovation means that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges that change creates. But as the climate crisis evolves, ports will have a new responsibility to protect those they serve. Done well, staff will be able to benefit from the rich, ongoing progress of a vibrant industry. Done poorly, businesses stand to suffer huge reputational damage for the neglect of their overlooked communities.

If we can learn anything from the PR wins and losses of the last year-and-a-half, it is that sincerity is at the heart of a good response to a crisis. As leaders set the terms for a new ‘best practice’, there is value in learning from industry partners and rivals.

There is also value in consulting with staff and admitting when we get it wrong. And lastly, there is value in taking a step back and remembering all the parts that make the whole work.

Business Fights Poverty is a business-led collaboration network focused on social impact.