Weather-Related Disruptions in Transportation and Logistics: A Systematic Literature Review and a Policy Implementation Roadmap

Dimos Touloumidis (), Michael Madas, Vasileios Zeimpekis and Georgia Ayfantopoulou
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Dimos Touloumidis: Information Systems and e-Business Laboratory (ISeB), Department of Applied Informatics, School of Information Sciences, University of Macedonia, 546 36 Thessaloniki, Greece
Michael Madas: Information Systems and e-Business Laboratory (ISeB), Department of Applied Informatics, School of Information Sciences, University of Macedonia, 546 36 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vasileios Zeimpekis: Design, Operations and Production Systems Laboratory (DeOPSyS), Department of Financial and Management Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 82132 Chios, Greece
Georgia Ayfantopoulou: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Hellenic Institute of Transport, 57001 Thermi, Greece

Logistics, 2025, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-28

Abstract: Background : The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events (EWEs) as a consequence of climate change pose critical challenges on the transport and logistics sector, hence requiring systematic evaluation and strategic adaptation. Methods : This study conducts a comprehensive systematic literature review (SLR) of 147 peer-reviewed articles and reports through a PRISMA framework to comprehensively identify key weather-induced challenges, quantify their operational, infrastructural and economic impacts, and explore alternative mitigation strategies. Results : With a greater focus on rainfall, flooding and snowfall, this study highlights their notable impacts causing reductions in transport efficiency, increased maintenance costs and substantial financial losses. Also, it emphasizes the role of advanced technologies, resilient infrastructure, and adaptive policy frameworks as critical enablers for enhancing sector resilience while simultaneously formulating a robust roadmap for cities and companies with actions ranging from direct operational adjustments to long-term transformational changes in policy and infrastructure. Conclusions : This work underscores the importance of using a data-driven approach to safeguard transport and logistics systems against evolving climate risks contributing to the broader goal of sustainable urban resilience and operational continuity.

Keywords: extreme weather events; transport resilience; urban logistics; infrastructure vulnerability; climate change adaptation; operational disruptions; adaptive strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L8 L80 L81 L86 L87 L9 L90 L91 L92 L93 L98 L99 M1 M10 M11 M16 M19 R4 R40 R41 R49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlogis:v:9:y:2025:i:1:p:32-:d:1595198

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