EU Must Act to Curb Black Carbon Pollution from Shipping in the Arctic – Report

Brussels, 28 May 2025:- Reacting to publication of a detailed study, Black carbon and CO2 emissions from EU-regulated shipping in the Arctic by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), which finds that CO2 and black carbon emissions from ships operating in and out of EU ports dominate the emissions from large ships in the Arctic and are likely higher than previously assumed, Dr Sian Prior, Lead Advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance said:

“This study should spur EU member states and the European Commission to realise the onus is on the EU, along with Arctic states to spearhead regulatory action that will reduce shipping’s impacts on the Arctic.”

“Black carbon emissions from ships, when deposited directly on Arctic ice or snow, have a disproportionate impact in a region already facing catastrophic climate breakdown. Nearly fifteen years ago, the global community – through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – resolved to address the impact of black carbon emission from ships on the Arctic – yet we were still waiting for action.”

“Ahead of the next meeting of IMO’s Pollution Prevention and Response sub-committee in early 2026 (PPR 13), the EU must lead global action to secure a regulation in MARPOL Annex VI – the international convention which regulates discharges and emissions from ships – requiring shipping in the Arctic to only use cleaner polar fuels such as marine distillates. With the Arctic warming four times faster than anywhere else on Earth, there is no time to lose.”

ENDS

ICCT press release: Black carbon emissions from EU shipping in the Arctic likely higher than assumed, ICCT study finds

ICCT Study: Black carbon and CO₂ emissions from EU-regulated shipping in the Arctic

Contact:
Dave Walsh, Communications Advisor, [email protected], +34 691 826 764

About the Clean Arctic Alliance
Made up of 24 not-for-profit organisations, the Clean Arctic Alliance campaigns to persuade governments to take action to protect the Arctic, its wildlife and its people.

Members include: Alaska Wilderness League, Bellona, Clean Air Task Force, Ecology and Development Foundation ECODES, Environmental Investigation Agency, Equal Routes, Eurasian Wildlife and Peoples, Friends of the Earth US, Global Choices, Green Global Future, Green Transition Denmark, Greenpeace, Iceland Nature Conservation Association, International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union, 90 North Foundation, Ocean Conservancy, Pacific Environment, Seas At Risk, Surfrider Foundation Europe, Stand.Earth, Transport & Environment, WWF and Zero.

More more information visit https://www.cleanarctic.org/

 

Black carbon emissions from EU shipping in the Arctic might be higher than previously assumed, ICCT study reveals

Berlin, 28 May 2025 — Previous assessments may have significantly underestimated the climate impact of EU shipping in the Arctic by focusing only on vessels flying EU flags, a new report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) finds. The study, Black carbon and CO₂ emissions from EU-regulated shipping in the Arctic, shows that between 2015 and 2021, black carbon (BC) emissions in the region nearly doubled — with a substantial share coming from ships traveling to and from EU ports.

Black carbon, typically produced by incomplete combustion in marine engines, contributes to global warming and is linked to health impacts, including lung cancer, respiratory illness, and cardiopulmonary disease. It is considered a key driver of the rapid loss of Arctic Sea ice, a region experiencing significant environmental stress due to rapid warming, with temperatures rising three to four times faster than the global average.

“Our findings show that ships connected to EU trade, regardless of their flag, are major drivers of black carbon pollution in the Arctic,” says Liudmila Osipova, ICCT Senior Researcher and lead author of the study. “Recognizing these emissions in future policies could help the EU better align its climate goals with its real footprint in the Arctic.”

The EU generally accounts for Arctic shipping emissions only from ships flying EU flags (“EU-flagged ships”) in the region. This study expands the scope by also assessing emissions from ships traveling to and from EU ports (“EU-regulated ships”). The study compares the fleet composition, fuel use, and BC and CO2 emissions of these ships across both the broadly-defined Geographic Arctic (north of 59°N) and the IMO Arctic as defined by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Polar Code.

Between 2015 and 2021, the study finds, BC emissions in the IMO Arctic nearly doubled. EU-regulated ships contributed significantly: among vessels of at least 5,000 GT, EU-regulated ships emitted 52 tonnes of BC, accounting for 23% of total emissions. This is nearly twice the 27 tonnes emitted by EU-flagged ships, which made up 12% of emissions. In the broader Geographic Arctic, EU-regulated ships emitted 317 tonnes of BC and 1.9 million tonnes of CO₂ representing 44% and 60% of emissions from vessels of the same size. By comparison, EU-flagged ships contributed just 145 tonnes of BC and 726,000 tonnes of CO₂ or 20% and 23% of the emissions, respectively.

Despite its potent climate and health impacts, BC remains one of the most unregulated short-lived climate and air pollutants. While the EU has committed to addressing shipping emissions as part of its broader Arctic climate strategy, BC emissions have not been included in the scope of EU maritime policies, such as FuelEU Maritime and the extension of the EU Emissions Trading System to the maritime sector.

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Media contact
Sophie Ehmsen, [email protected]

Publication details Title: Black carbon and CO₂ emissions from EU-regulated shipping in the Arctic
Authors: Liudmila Osipova and Ketan Gore
Please use this link when citing this report: theicct.org/publication/black-carbon-and-co2-emissions-from-eu-regulated-shipping-in-the-arctic-may25

About the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is an independent nonprofit research organization founded to provide exceptional, objective, timely research and technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators. Our work empowers policymakers and others worldwide to improve the environmental performance of road, marine, and air transportation to benefit public health and mitigate climate change. We began collaborating and working as a group of like-minded policymakers and technical experts, formalizing our status as a mission-driven non-governmental organization in 2005.

Find us at:
www.theicct.org

Original source of this press release – ICCT website