Wake Up EU, It’s Time to Tackle Black Carbon in the Arctic
By Aimé Mühlemann
It has become common knowledge that the Arctic, a region of unparalleled beauty and great ecological significance, is facing an unprecedented threat through climate change. Who has not seen pictures of meagre polar bears on small ice floes in this day and age? We are aware that something needs to be done to prevent further harm to the ecosystem but when trying to pinpoint the exact causes we face a dilemma: where, when and how should we exactly slash emissions to prevent the Arctic from reaching crucial tipping points? In this area, one major regional pollutant is often overlooked: black carbon (PM2.5). This potent climate-forcing pollutant poses a significant risk to the delicate Arctic environment and exacerbates global warming. As the European Union (EU) takes steps to combat climate change, it must prioritize addressing black carbon emissions, predominantly of European origin, in the Arctic from a main source: shipping.
Black carbon, also known as soot, is the second-largest contributor to climate warming from shipping after carbon dioxide (CO2), with an impact of up to over three thousand times that of CO2. While CO2 remains the primary focus in climate discussions, its smaller sibling black carbon similarly warrants urgent attention due to its disproportionately high impact when released in and near the Arctic, accounting for an astonishing 20% of the shipping industry’s climate emissions. When emitted from the exhausts of ships burning heavy fuels black carbon settles onto snow and ice, accelerating melting and the loss of reflectivity, known as the albedo effect. The stone underneath the molten snow doesn’t reflect sunlight as well as ice, which exacerbates local and global heating. It is estimated that this reduction of the albedo effect by black carbon increased global warming by about 0.04°C since 1750, contributing to the general declining arctic albedo, which between 1979 and 2011 constituted 25% of the world’s heating effect.
This process creates a feedback loop because when more ice is lost, ironically more ships sail through the arctic, which again results in higher emissions and greater loss of ice. As a result, unlike per-capita CO2 emissions in the EU, emissions are not going down: according to the Arctic Council, black carbon emissions from shipping doubled between 2015 and 2021 due to an increase in shipping in the Arctic, whilst the number of ships as well as the distance covered grew by 25% respectively 75% between 2013 and 2019.
Scientists warn that the Arctic is undergoing rapid and soon irreversible ecological changes, with potentially devastating consequences. The need to reduce emissions of black carbon is urgent, not only for mitigating climate change but also for protecting human health. Black carbon can penetrate deep into the lungs, leading to respiratory issues and contributing to millions of premature deaths annually. Each year, approximately 4 million deaths can be linked to air polluted by black carbon, including premature child deaths due to lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
What is surprising is that efforts to reduce black carbon emissions have actually already been made. Just not on the sea, where efforts have lagged behind. On land, strict air emission standards are the norm in developed countries, resulting in the global demand for heavy oils, which used to be prominent in power generation, declining since the mid-1980s. It is time for the maritime industry to step up, acknowledge their responsibilities and adopt cleaner fuels and technologies to reduce black carbon emissions. For example, switching from bunker fuels to cleaner distillate fuels would be a viable short-term solution to reduce black carbon emissions from ships and has been recommended by NGOs such as the Clean Arctic Alliance. If all ships using heavy fuel oil were to switch to cleaner distillate fuels, there would be an immediate reduction of around 44% in black carbon emissions. This is completely feasible: most engines can already transition easily from heavy to distillate fuels and often do already, using the lighter diesel fuels in the coastal waters, and then switching over to the heavy fuels once outside of these. Additionally, installing diesel particulate filters, which capture soot, could further reduce black carbon emissions by over 90%.
Focusing on Europe, the EU has taken a great step forward by recognising the importance of tackling black carbon emissions from shipping in the Arctic through its 2021 Arctic Strategy, where it commits to reducing black carbon emissions by 33%. However, more concrete actions are needed to address this pressing issue. Here, the EU has the opportunity to lead by example and set a precedent for other regions to follow. Primarily, the EU’s Fit for 55 climate package, which includes specific measures for shipping, needs to include black carbon. Because ships trading to and from EU ports contribute the greatest volume of black carbon from maritime transport reaching the Arctic, by requiring them to switch from bunker fuels to cleaner distillate fuels if they wish to enter EU ports would significantly reduce black carbon emissions in Arctic waters by an estimated 50–80%; thus reaching above-mentioned goals. While there may be concerns about the cost of lighter fuels, the benefits to the environment and human health far outweigh the economic considerations. Furthermore, the short lifespan of black carbon particles of 4–12 days means that regulatory measures could lead to its complete disappearance from the atmosphere, providing rapid and tangible benefits.
Most importantly and regardless of which measure it chooses, the EU must act swiftly and decisively to implement such regulations, leveraging its influence to drive positive change in the maritime industry. The consequences of inaction are otherwise dire. The Arctic ice cap is already experiencing rapid melting, leading to rising sea levels and disrupting ecosystems. The decline in Arctic albedo due to black carbon emissions further exacerbates these effects, contributing to additional heating and sea-level rise. The time for action is now, and the EU must seize this opportunity to lead the way towards a cleaner and more sustainable future for the Arctic and the planet as a whole.
Aimé Mühlemann is a 2023–24 European Horizons Transatlantic Fellow and undergraduate student in Politics and International Relations at University College London. As President of the UCL chapter and originally from Switzerland, he is strongly interested in EU diplomacy with non-EU states in Europe as well as global climate politics.
