What exactly is logistics?

Many people think of logistics as simply moving stuff. The appearance of the word on the sides of trucks certainly gives this impression. In practice logistics is a complex mix of freight transport, storage, handling, inventory management and all the IT required to co-ordinate these activities. It is a function that we all take for granted but without which our economy, indeed whole way of life, would collapse. It is a major industry in its own right, accounting for 12% of global GDP, and a major polluter releasing around 10-11% of global CO₂ emissions. To get a sense of just how important logistics is, have a look at this video. 

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Keynote Address at NOFOMA 2026 Conference, Bergen

NOFOMA is the Nordic Logistics Research Network.  Its 38th Annual Conference was held on the 15 and 17 June 2026 in the BI Norwegian Business School's building in Bergen. I was invited to be a keynote speaker at the event and welcomed the opportunity to reconnect with this very active research community.  I decided to use my presentation to argue that carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will open new avenues for research in sustainable logistics.  This seemed an appropriate choice of subject as governments and businesses in the Nordic region plan to make a major contribution to global carbon capture and storage and CDR efforts.   Indeed, the Øygarden CO2 terminal, part for the world’s first open-source CO2 transport and storage infrastructure, known as Northern Lights, was only 40kms away. 

My talk briefly reviewed the history of carbon sequestration, discussed the logistical challenges it will pose if scaled up in line with current climate modelling and identified related research questions that urgently need answers. The presentation, which contains around 50 weblinks to relevant data sources, and can be downloaded here.