A letter from the Clean Arctic Alliance to Foreign Minister Motzfeldt and Ambassador Hoegh on priorities for the Kingdom of Denmark’s Chairship of the Arctic Council.
Dear Foreign Minister Motzfeldt and Ambassador Høegh,
On behalf of the Clean Arctic Alliance, I would like to congratulate you on your new chairship and agenda for the next two years of the Arctic Council. The Alliance shares many of the same priorities as you do, especially as they relate to eliminating pollution, fighting climate change, and reversing biodiversity loss, to improve and maintain ocean health. Integration of Indigenous Rights is central to our work along with the implementation of Indigenous Knowledge. As a coalition of non-profit organisations, some of which were able to participate in the meeting with Arctic Council Observers last week, the Alliance focuses on reducing the impact of shipping on the Arctic, and to help meet our shared goals, a special focus over the next two years should be to:
- Minimize emissions of greenhouse gases and short-lived climate super pollutants from shipping, including black carbon and methane.
- Reduce pollution discharges from ships into the ocean and the risk of oil spills.
- Turn down the sound: quieten the Arctic ocean by addressing underwater radiated noise from shipping.
As you will be aware, the Arctic has already warmed by 2.5oC. International shipping is one of several sectors contributing to that heating, through emissions of both greenhouse gases and short-lived climate forcers such as black carbon (BC) and methane. Coupled with these emissions, growth in international shipping in the Arctic, both in terms of numbers of ships and increasing distance being sailed, is leading to increased marine pollution and greater levels of disturbance. The Kingdom of Denmark’s actions during its leadership (2025–2027) will be critical to the future health of the Arctic Ocean, the people that depend on it, and the global climate systems. Acting on these priorities provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate global leadership by addressing challenges in a region experiencing extreme year-round temperature changes, record low summer sea ice, and earlier opening of Arctic sea routes. To help realize our shared vision for protecting the Arctic and its people:
First and foremost, support PEOPLE IN THE ARCTIC by:
- Supporting the rights of Indigenous Peoples to protect their livelihoods and resources by reducing black carbon emissions to slow snow and ice melt and implementing a strong Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) ban to protect vital subsistence resources like fishing and hunting, essential for Arctic Indigenous peoples’ food security and cultural identity.
- Promoting a just and equitable transition that directly benefits Arctic Indigenous communities through cleaner alternative non-fossil fuels and increased use of renewable energy (e.g., solar, wind, and battery storage), alongside the HFO ban.
Take action to protect the ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT by:
- Promoting the development of a zero-emission vision for Arctic shipping and supporting a roadmap to transition from oil-based fuels to cleaner, non-fossil alternatives, along with the necessary onshore infrastructure.
- Encouraging Arctic nations to adopt the IMO’s resolution MEPC.342(77), which advocates for using distillate or cleaner fuels in or near the Arctic, and endorsing the ‘polar fuel’ concept at the IMO leading to regulation.
- Implementing the Arctic HFO ban by immediately eliminating waivers and other loopholes that allow its use until the year of 2029, and steering clear of investing in or supporting the use of LNG as a marine fuel because of its lack of life cycle GHG reductions and supply chain methane leaks.
- Calling for the prohibition of the use of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (scrubbers) and the discharge of scrubber waste in the Arctic.
- Encouraging the IMO to develop Arctic-specific recommendations and mandatory measures to significantly reduce underwater radiated noise by 2030.
- Strengthening regulations on sewage discharges, developing Arctic-wide regulations on greywater discharge and marine plastic litter.
- Promoting further reductions in shipping’s impacts on priority Arctic ecosystems and species by establishing green shipping corridors with biodiversity, pollution and climate goals which include vessel routing, speed reductions, and designation of shipping-free zones.
Promote CLIMATE AND GREEN ENERGY SOLUTIONS by:
- Advocating for mandatory IMO measures to reduce and eliminate black carbon emissions from Arctic shipping through amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, and supporting the uptake of technology which offers a ship based technical solution to further reducing black carbon.
- Convening Arctic states, within the context of the IMO, to designate all regions of the Arctic an emission control area (ECA).
- Encouraging Arctic states to reduce black carbon emissions in line with 1.5°C warming pathways, the latest science, and Indigenous Knowledge. For shipping, this requires reductions in the range of 75% by 2030 and 95% by 2035 from 2013 levels, across the whole of the Arctic.
- Supporting short-term measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Arctic shipping, including speed reductions, installation of wind-assist technology, and increased energy efficiency measures.
Develop a STRONGER ARCTIC COUNCIL by:
- Recognizing and addressing the lack of trained emergency responders and equipment for search, rescue, and oil spill response in the Arctic.
- Strengthening cooperation among Arctic nations to collaboratively respond to shipping accidents, including oil and chemical spills.
This cohesive and actionable plan emphasizes the Chair’s critical role in shaping the Arctic’s future under the Kingdom of Denmark’s leadership of the Arctic Council. We welcome the opportunity to work with you and all the members of the Arctic Council to address the urgent need to reverse the impacts of the climate crisis in the Arctic and sustainable opportunities for its people.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Sian Prior, Lead Advisor, Clean Arctic Alliance
The Clean Arctic Alliance: Alaska Wilderness League | Bellona | Clean Air Task Force | ECODES |Environmental Investigation Agency | Equal Routes |Eurasian Wildlife & 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 | Ocean Conservancy | Pacific Environment | Seas At Risk | Stand.earth | Surfrider Foundation Europe | Transport & Environment | WWF | Zero | 90 North Foundation
Campaigning to protect the Arctic from the impacts of shipping www.cleanarctic.org
