Iceland has a unique opportunity to lead the cleaning up of Arctic shipping ahead of an International Maritime Organization meeting that must set future rules on fuels allowed by shipping in the Arctic, according to the Iceland Nature Conservation Association. On October 30, the Nordic Council backed action on polar fuels by Nordic governments, in order to cut Arctic black carbon emissions at the IMO.
“With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) having spent more than a decade on scientific analysis and discussions, but black carbon emissions from Arctic shipping remaining unregulated, the government of Iceland have a unique opportunity to demonstrate joint leadership on how cutting black carbon emissions from Arctic shipping can be achieved”, said Árni Finnsson, Board Chair, Iceland Nature Conservation Association. “By working closely in the coming months alongside Nordic nations and other supporting governments to eliminate the use of heavy fuel oils by ships in the Arctic, Iceland can change the course of climate warming at next February’s IMO meeting.”
“Black carbon is one of the longest, unresolved issues running at the IMO, and must be dealt with without delay”, said Finnsson. “The next opportunity comes in February 2026, when the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response will meet (PPR 13) to discuss polar fuels.”
“A strong agreement on polar fuels – lighter, cleaner fuels – will set rules which will reduce black carbon emission levels by banning dirty, heavy fuels from shipping in the Arctic region”, added Finnsson. “The deadline for submitting proposals is December – a concrete proposal led by Arctic states like Iceland on polar fuels that will ensure a reduction of Arctic black carbon emissions is urgently needed.”
A recent report by NGO Pacific Environment lays out the case for why the International Maritime Organization (IMO) should immediately act on reducing black carbon pollution — a climate super-pollutant. On Thin Ice: Why Black Carbon Demands Urgent Action, explores how the expansion of Arctic shipping is causing an increase in the release of black carbon into the air, which then settles on snow and ice, accelerating dangerous melting.
From the report: “One major cause of the accelerated Arctic warming is black carbon, a super-pollutant characterized mainly by its high degree of warming potential as a powerful “short-lived climate forcer” — small particles with a relatively brief lifespan in the atmosphere compared to long- lived greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2). Cutting black carbon emissions will result in immediate climate benefits that slow warming in the Arctic and improve public health in Arctic communities.”
It presents a clear and urgent call for IMO member states to require vessels operating in and near the Arctic to switch to readily available and cleaner “polar fuels” — such as marine distillates DMA and DMZ or new fuels with comparable lower black carbon emissions levels — to rapidly cut emissions, protect vulnerable ecosystems and safeguard communities.
Both the Iceland Nature Conservation Association and Pacific Environment are members of the Clean Arctic Alliance, which campaigns to persuade governments to take action to protect the Arctic, its wildlife and its people.
Source: Clean Arctic Alliance
