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Vanderbilt Center for Transportation
and Operational Resiliency (VECTOR)

Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Freight Transportation Operations and Infrastructure – A Leadership Summit

During a previous research project, VECTOR research members identified critical issues affecting freight transportation safety, security and efficiency. One of these issues, the impact of climate change on freight transportation operations and infrastructure, has been selected as the topic for a CIFTS leadership summit to be held at Vanderbilt University. The purpose of this project is to organize and implement this leadership summit.

Summit goals are to:

  • Involve industry, government, academic and community leaders in recognizing how climate change influences freight transportation
  • Establish priorities on short-term and long-term impacts of climate change that warrant strategic freight transportation focus
  • Develop freight transportation strategies for addressing priority climate change considerations
  • Identify actions that should be undertaken as soon as possible to initiate these strategies
  • Provide a forum for networking and creating synergies among key stakeholders

The summit will be structured as an invitation-only event involving the participation of 40-50 key stakeholders, representing all aspects of the freight transportation industry operating in the Southeast. Summit attendees will convene in plenary and breakout sessions such that each attendee actively participates in reaching consensus on the scope of the problem, issues requiring priority attention, strategy identification and development of an action plan.

Update: This summit was held June 2nd and 3rd, 2011 at Vanderbilt University. Click here for the post-summit press release.