In response to reports of record-low global sea ice cover in February from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the Clean Arctic Alliance is urging the IMO and the shipping industry to significantly reduce black carbon emissions from ships operating in the Arctic, reports Clean Arctic Alliance.
Urgent Need
Dr. Sian Prior of the Clean Arctic Alliance emphasizes the urgent need for the IMO to address black carbon emissions from ships in the Arctic, which is warming rapidly. She suggests that switching from heavy fuel oils to cleaner distillate fuels would immediately reduce these emissions. Installing diesel particulate filters could cut emissions by over 90%.
Prior calls for a new MARPOL Annex VI regulation to mandate the use of “polar fuels” – fuels with low or zero black carbon emissions – in and near the Arctic.
Bill Hemmings highlights that the marine fuel industry has provided fuel quality characteristics for distillate fuels like DMA, which could replace residual fuels. These “polar fuels” are readily available and easier to clean up in case of spills. This development advances the definition of polar fuels, which should include low or zero carbon fuels, and could lead to significant reductions in shipping’s climate impact on the Arctic.
Black Carbon and Arctic
A 2024 paper submitted to the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee proposed a new regulation in MARPOL Annex VI to mandate “polar fuels” in the Arctic. These fuels, like distillate fuels (DMA or DMZ), would significantly reduce black carbon emissions.
The paper builds on the “polar fuels” concept, defining their characteristics to differentiate them from residual fuels, thus ensuring emissions reduction.
Black carbon, a short-lived pollutant from incomplete fossil fuel combustion, is extremely potent, with a warming effect over 3,000 times greater than CO2 over 20 years. It contributes significantly to shipping’s climate impact, especially in the Arctic.
When black carbon settles on snow and ice, it accelerates melting by darkening the surface, reducing the albedo effect (the reflective capacity of ice), and causing further heat absorption. The UN’s IPCC has doubled its estimate of black carbon’s warming potential on snow and ice due to improved scientific understanding.
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Source: Clean Arctic Alliance
