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The UK could benefit from shifting from an 'emergency' to 'resilience' paradigm because of the projected rise in the demand for crisis response

Crisis response will likely need to change from a focus on one-off emergencies to planning more proactively for regular, periodic events that demand a different approach: one focused on long-term resilience. Part of such proactive management is capacity and resilience building across the entire crisis response delivery: from the organisations involved to the people and equipment, to the wider societies affected by disasters.

Technologies focused on environmental efficiency and self-sufficiency are a powerful enabler of more environmentally sustainable logistics

Emerging technologies present significant opportunities for setting up a more environmentally sustainable delivery of logistics. Logistics planners must have a sound understanding of the types of solutions available on the market, as well as appreciation of any barriers to implementation and integration of these technologies, for example to improve energy efficiency, water and waste management, reduce carbon footprint.

Climate change will increasingly disrupt global economies and ecological integrity and requires a global response, in which the UK should have a powerful voice

The impact of climate change is likely to be felt all around the globe. The UK government's vision of a 'Global Britain' encompasses an outward-focused Britain that is active in its response to global challenges and ready to take up a confident role in pursuit of opportunities. Arguably, one of the greatest opportunities of our time is the ability to lead global adaptation to climate change.

Climate change is expected to have a significant impact on defence and security, acting as a threat multiplier and straining resources. The UK government generally, and UK defence specifically, have embarked on a proactive approach to better adapt to the effects of climate change. In 2021, the UK Ministry of Defence is to publish its Climate Change and Sustainability strategy, which is focused on enhancing operational capability in changing climatic conditions and on identifying and embedding sustainable solutions to enable UK defence to meet its net zero carbon emissions target by 2050. This report informed the preparation of the strategy by identifying the implications of climate change for defence logistics in crisis response situations.

The report provides:

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Climate change and defence logistics

• Chapter Three

  Recent relevant UK policy developments on climate change

• Chapter Four

  Challenges for defence logistics

• Chapter Five

  Opportunities and policy actions

• Chapter Six

  Discussion and areas for further research

• Annex A

  Interviewees

• Annex B

  Methodology