Maritime Shipping: Black Carbon Issues at the International Maritime Organization

Ships are an important and growing source of anthropogenic black carbon emissions. Black carbon emissions from ships have grown 12% between 2012 and 2018 and represent about one-fifth of shipping’s carbon dioxide equivalent emissions every year, based on their 20-year global warming potential. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has spent more than a decade studying how to define, measure, and control black carbon emissions from ships, with a particular focus on reducing the impact of black carbon emissions on the Arctic. At a recent workshop of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), participants agreed that there were six appropriate black carbon control policies that the IMO could consider, including black carbon emissions limits for ships and banning the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic. The IMO’s separate efforts to reduce and eventually eliminate greenhouse gases (GHGs) from maritime shipping will indirectly reduce black carbon emissions. Reducing and eliminating black carbon emissions from ships can mitigate the most severe impacts of climate change, especially in the Arctic, and protect human and ecosystem health. Black carbon regulations could be in effect by 2023, although this may be delayed because IMO meetings have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.