Selective Adoption: How Port Authorities in Europe and West Africa Engage with the Globalizing ‘Green Port’ Idea

Eric Tamatey Lawer,Michael Flitner,Johannes Herbeck

doi:10.3390/su11185119

Abstract

The scholarly debate on ‘green ports’ since it emerged in the policy discourse of international maritime organizations has largely focused on exploring the economic benefits associated with implementing related policies and developing green guides and codes of conduct for port authorities. In contrast, it has received little attention how the green port idea and according measures are taken up and what role is played by contextual factors in places of such uptake. By engaging with the expanding literature on policy mobilities and drawing on empirical information collected through interviews with port officials from four ports in Europe and West Africa, we argue that context-specific factors strongly influence what we call the selective adoption of green port tools and measures for transitioning ports towards sustainability. They include environmental priorities, regulatory requirements, financial resources and the immediate areas of competence of port authorities, which all vary widely across regions and specific ports.

Highlights

IntroductionThe green port concept emerged in the policy discourse of international maritime organizations as a way to address environmental and social sustainability concerns related to ports (see [3,4])
While ports are regarded as critical national infrastructures and important for economic development, port authorities are experiencing increased pressure to address the negative environmental and social impacts associated with port operations and development [1,2]
The paper investigated how port authorities in Europe and West Africa engage with the green port idea highlighting how contextual factors shape the adoption of green port measures

Summary

Introduction

The green port concept emerged in the policy discourse of international maritime organizations as a way to address environmental and social sustainability concerns related to ports (see [3,4]). Wooldridge et al [54] noted that in the early periods, priority environmental issues that were being addressed by European and North American ports included water quality, dredging and noise. Wooldridge and his colleagues, argue that port managers may use existing laws that apply to them as a baseline in devising their green strategies

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