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ILast February, a Russian gas tanker was seen. Christophe de Margerie, made historyBy navigating the icy waters on the northern sea route mid-winter. The pioneering voyage, from Jiangsu in China to a remote Arctic port in Siberia, was heralded as the start of a new era that could reshape global shipping routes – cutting travel times between Europe and Asia by more than a third.
The climate crisis has made it possible. Shipping traffic has been allowed to the Arctic by shrinking polar ice. Increased 25% between 2013-2019The growth is expected to continue.
But ArcticShipping is not only possible because of the climate crisis, but it is also increasing. More ships mean a rise in exhaust fumes, which is accelerating ice melt in this sensitive region due to a complex phenomenon involving “black carbon”, an air pollutant formed by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels.
Black carbon, or soot that lands on snow or ice, speeds up its melting. By absorbing more energy than white snow, dark snow and/or ice melts faster than heat reflective white snow. This creates a vicious circle of faster warming.
The Arctic is warming four times faster that the global average according to environmentalists. Ships experience a 85% rise in blackcarbonThe increase in bulk carriers and oil tankers has largely accounted for the difference between 2015 and 2019.
These particles, which can cause severe respiratory and cardiovascular problems in cities, are short-term, but powerful climate agents. 20% of carbon dioxide equivalent emissionOne estimate says ships.
Shipping is not subject to the same regulations as other transport sectors like road, rail, and inland waterways. However, unlike other transport sectors such as road, rail, and inland waterways where emissions are controlled by air-quality standards, there are no regulations for shipping. The International Maritime Organization, (IMO), adopted a resolution in November regarding the use of cleaner fuels for Arctic transportation to reduce black carbon. However it left it up to the individual to decide.
The IMO was back in the news last week. A coalition of environmental groups warned a meeting of its pollution, prevention and response subcommittee that its resolution did too little to tackle the Arctic’s climate crisis. They submitted a paper calling on governments to agree mandatory regulations to slash shipping’s emissions of black carbon in the region.
“We’re hitting this cascading tipping point for the climate,” said Dr Lucy Gilliam, senior shipping policy officer of Seas at Risk. “With the IPCC report, we are seeing again why we need to do something about black carbon urgently.”
Last Monday, scientists from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned it was “now or never”for climate change prevention. They concluded that the international community was not meeting its climate commitments and singled out the shipping industry and the IMO for criticism.
The Global shipping pollution increased by 4.9%According to a report from the shipbrokers Simpson Spence Young, it will be 2021.
“IMO member states must agree on ambitious and urgent global action to dramatically reduce ship-source black carbon emissions this decade, in order to mitigate the climate crisis in the Arctic,” said Dr Sian Prior, lead adviser to the Clean Arctic Alliance, a coalition of 21 non-profit groups lobbying governments to protect Arctic wildlife and people. She urged all states and regions to immediately reduce the black carbon in ships.
It would be great if all Arctic shipping used heavy fuel oil to transport goods switched to cleaner distillatefuel. Reduce black carbon emissions by 44%The Alliance stated that. Heavy fuel oil, or bunker oil, is viscous low-grade, cheap oil that is more polluting then distillate.
The number of ships that have diesel particulate filters installed, which reduces emissions by capturing and storage soot, could be reduced by another 90%.
Others argue that the IMO’s 2021 ban on heavy fuel oils in the Arctic – a move aimed at reducing the risk of spillage and expected to come into effect in 2029 – will see a reduction in black carbon.
“The tide is swimming in the same direction already,” said Paul Blomerus, director of Clear Seas: Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping, an independent research institute in CanadaFinanced by both industry and government. “Many Canadian-flagged ships are moving towards distillate fuels, ahead of the IMO ban, which will have the added effect of reducing black carbon emissions.
“You could argue that the IMO only has a certain amount of bandwidth and we should concentrate on decarbonisation and how to get to net zero by 2050.”
He also mentioned the significant role that RussiaArctic shipping. “Whether they would abide by the IMO’s regulation is anyone’s guess in the current circumstances,” he said.
