Emissions from Arctic shipping traffic could rise by around 150-600% by 2025, according to a report published by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).
According to World Maritime News, marine vessel traffic is expected to increase as global warming intensifies and Arctic sea ice melts, therefore increasing levels of pollution in the Arctic region.
The expansion of emissions control areas (ECAs) for marine ships and cleaner marine fuels which contain lower sulphur content are both potential solutions to an on-going problem.
If 0.1% sulphur fuel is implemented, sulphur oxide emissions could be reduced by as much as 87%, relative to 2011 levels.
John Kaltenstein, Marine Policy Analyst at Friends of the Earth, said: “Unrestricted and weakly regulated shipping in the Arctic paints a grim outlook for fragile polar environments and for efforts to combat climate-forcing emissions such as black carbon.
“In just two months, the US will assume the chair of the Arctic Council, the intergovernmental forum for Arctic governments and peoples, and it will have an opportunity to push for stronger protections in the Arctic, including a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil.”
