Advancing Sustainable Logistics Resilience: Risk Management Strategies for Global Uncertainties and Climate Challenges

Abstract

Global logistics networks, which handle over 90% of international trade and contribute around 21% of global carbon emissions (Ly, 2023; Brand, 2021), are under increasing pressure from two main sources: geopolitical issues like tariffs, trade wars, and Red Sea disruptions (Marsh, 2026), and climate-related challenges including extreme weather, droughts, and floods that affect ports and routes (Economist Impact, 2025). Lean strategies, designed primarily for efficiency rather than resilience to shocks, tend to exacerbate this vulnerability. New sustainability requirements, such as the EU Green Deal and IMO decarbonization goals, now call for integrating risk management into these networks to enhance long-term resilience (Chen et al., 2025). This conceptual paper synthesizes recent literature to identify key uncertainties in logistics operations, their impacts, and reviews proven risk management strategies to mitigate them. Practical implications for logistics managers and policymakers are outlined.