THE NEED FOR STRONGER REGULATIONS
Regulations are needed to force ship operators to switch to distillate fuel. In November 2021, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN body overseeing shipping, adopted a resolution urging ship operators to switch to cleaner fuels in the Arctic in a bid to reduce black carbon emissions. But it was a voluntary measure, which relied on governments to introduce supportive policies. Environmental groups are calling for mandatory regulations to drastically slash black carbon emissions in the Arctic.
Regulations are already in place around the North American coastline, where the IMO introduced an emission control area (ECA) in 2012, requiring ships to limit their nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulphur oxide (SOx) and particulate matter pollution. This regulation has incentivised many ship operators to switch to distillate fuel. ECAs have also been established in the Mediterranean, the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS WOULD LIKE THE NORTH AMERICA ECA TO BE EXTENDED TO THE ARCTIC.
“Arctic communities were overlooked when the North America ECA was established,” says Comer. “Some would argue that’s environmental injustice and environmental racism.” It is important that existing loopholes, which enable ship operators to continue using heavy fuel oil, are removed from new IMO regulations, experts argue. Currently, many ships in the ECA use scrubbers to remove their exhaust fumes from the atmosphere and comply with regulations, without having to switch to a more expensive distillate fuel.
“There are loopholes within the ECA… so you can still carry on using heavy fuel oil but install a scrubber to reduce your sulphur emissions,” says Prior. Although scrubbers reduce air pollution, they are still incredibly polluting as they dump the chemicals removed from the
exhaust directly into the ocean. By using scrubbers, “you are taking an atmospheric pollution problem and turning it into an ocean pollution problem,” says Prior.
If the North American emissions control area is extended to the Arctic “you’d want to see that high sulphur fuels would not be allowed, even if ships have a scrubber,” says Comer. “Instead, they should be required to use distillate fuels.” A proposal to extend the ECA is likely to be brought to the IMO this year, but it won’t get much air time until 2024, says Comer. This year the IMO is set to review its long-term emissions reduction strategy and decide whether to adopt a net zero by 2050 target.
The current IMO target, which campaigners say is woefully inadequate, is to halve shipping emissions by 2050. Without further action, shipping emissions are projected to reach 90-130% of their 2008 levels by 2050. “It is very inadequate,” says Dumbrille. “To be aligned with the Paris Agreement, [the target] needs to be at least 100% by 2050, ideally 100% by 2040, and 50% by 2030.”
“If you’re thinking about a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, dealing with black carbon should be at the top of your list,” he says.
“I’m not holding my breath at the moment… it’s going to take a couple more years,” says Prior, noting that there is still quite a lot of opposition within the industry. “It’s frustrating when [tackling black carbon] should be low-hanging fruit, especially compared to what needs to happen to decarbonise the whole sector.”
This article was first published on the China Dialogue Ocean website and is republished here with our thanks. IIMS has been unable to fact check the numbers quoted for accuracy, but we felt it an important and thought- provoking article to share with readers to showcase the arguments being made by those keen to protect the environment.
126 | The Report • June 2023 • Issue 104
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144
