Ahead of the Kingdom of Denmark taking over the Arctic Council Chairship from Norway next week, the Clean Arctic Alliance called on government ministers and Senior Arctic Officials from Arctic Council member and observer states to commit to curbing the rise of black carbon and methane pollution from shipping in the Arctic.
When the 14th meeting of the Arctic Council takes place on 12 May, the outgoing Norwegian chair is expected to highlight its accomplishments over the past two years, while the incoming Kingdom of Denmark chair, including Greenland and the Faroe Islands, will outline its priorities for the coming two years.
Tackling black carbon and methane pollution from marine traffic could dramatically reduce the impacts of the climate crisis before 2030 – this should be a top priority for Arctic Council member and observer states next week. It’s critical that urgent action be taken within every sector, including Arctic shipping, in the next five years, in order to reverse the trend in sea ice loss, maintain the Arctic’s role in global cooling, and prevent climate tipping points with irreversible consequences.
…highlighted Dr. Sian Prior, Lead Advisor, Clean Arctic Alliance.
Dr. Prior pointed out that ministers and Senior Arctic Officials attending this year’s 14th Arctic Council meeting must drive this action by setting bold targets for reductions of short-lived climate ‘super pollutants’ – like black carbon and methane.”
The period 2025-2030 is short-term opportunity for the shipping sector to take climate action and is the first big International Maritime Organization deadline for reducing shipping’s climate impact (the first target is 20%, striving for 30% by 2030), while scientists are now expecting to see the first summer ice free Arctic day by the 2030s.
Additionally, in its vision for the incoming Arctic Council Chair’s 2025-2027 mandate, the Clean Arctic Alliance provides guidance for the Kingdom of Denmark “to demonstrate global leadership with respect to a region of the world that is in serious trouble” on several key issues, including reducing underwater radiated noise, eliminating pollution discharges into the ocean, dealing with the risks of oil spills, and most urgently minimizing emissions of greenhouse gases and short-lived climate super pollutants from shipping, including black carbon and methane.
Black carbon could be reduced between 50-80% overnight by switching away from heavy fuel oils to distillate fuels, while methane emissions can be avoided by making fuel choices that don’t involve liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other methane based fuels
…said Andrew Dumbrille, Special Advisor, Clean Arctic Alliance.
Ahead of the 14th Arctic Council meeting, Clean Arctic Alliance member organisations and allies have also called for action.
Environmental and policy experts are calling on the Arctic Council to take urgent and decisive action to protect the Arctic from the accelerating effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, particularly from super pollutants like black carbon and methane, which are drastically warming the region and harming communities and ecosystems.
Black carbon, a pollutant 3,000 times more warming than CO₂ in the short term, and methane-based fuels such as LNG, are highlighted as critical threats from the shipping sector, which is rapidly expanding in Arctic waters. Advocates urge the banning of heavy fuel oil, the adoption of clean propulsion alternatives (such as wind-assisted systems), and setting ambitious, Arctic-specific reduction targets.
Statements emphasize that the Arctic is a global climate tipping point, warming four times faster than the rest of the planet, and actions taken there have planetary consequences. There is a clear call for bold leadership from Arctic nations, particularly with Greenland and Denmark in key leadership roles, to prioritize Indigenous voices, reject false solutions, and act swiftly ahead of major global climate forums like COP30 and the UN Ocean Conference.
“Now that Royal Arctic Line, the seaborne freight company owned by the Government of Greenland responsible for imports and exports, has already decided voluntarily to phase out heavy fuel oil and scrubbers to reduce Arctic pollution, we hope that Greenland, as chair of the Arctic Council, will urge other shipping companies and states to take similar actions to protect the unique fragile Arctic ecosystems”, said Kåre Press-Kristensen, Senior Advisor, Green Global Future.
Furthermore, according to Melanie Bahnke, President, Kawerak, Inc., the Tribes of the Bering Strait depend on healthy marine ecosystems for their food, culture, and wellbeing. Super pollutants such as black carbon and methane pose a serious risk to those values and ways of life in the Arctic and highlighted that the Arctic Council has a unique opportunity to agree to commitments which can protect and safeguard food sovereignty and habitats which Tribes depend upon.
We believe that the Greenland chairmanship will truly prioritise Arctic nature and indigenous communities over oil, gas, and mineral extraction, including deep sea mining, and promote respect of sovereignty and rule of law in the Arctic, much needed in the current political context. We also urge the Arctic Council under the new chair to closely monitor the shadow oil fleet going through the Arctic waters – a major threat to the Arctic environment at the moment.
…said Ksenia Vakhrusheva, Project Manager and Policy Advisor, Bellona.
“Recently Iceland has been stepping up its engagement for the conservation of the North-East Atlantic with the creation of the emission control area”, said Árni Finnsson, Board Chair at the Iceland Nature Conservation Association. “We trust the Icelandic government will take further action immediately to ban heavy fuel oil in the Arctic, and banning black carbon emissions from ships within its 12-mile territorial waters. Iceland also plays a critical role within the Arctic Council and must also show leadership in that forum on clean shipping and reducing black carbon.”
Black carbon has been on the IMO’s agenda for more than a decade, but it has yet to take meaningful action. Addressing the impact of black carbon on the Arctic is one of the longest, unresolved issues running at the IMO and must be dealt with without any further delay. The Clean Arctic Alliance is urging Member States to collaborate in the development of a concrete proposal, for consideration by PPR 13 in early 2026.
In addition, the Arctic Council’s Expert Group on Black Carbon and Methane (EGBCM) has a mandate to address both black carbon and methane; there is a huge urgency to address increasing methane emissions and their impacts in the Arctic.
When burned by ships, LNG releases methane and other pollutants into the atmosphere. Additionally, the process of extracting, processing, and transporting of LNG results in methane leakage. These activities can also cause significant environmental impacts including habitat destruction, water pollution, and climate heating.
Methane provides 30% of the global climate problem, and emissions are on the rise. Methane impacts are amplified in the Arctic due to melting glaciers exposing large deposits of leaking methane gas. Methane released from thawing permafrost and emitted by industrial sources have led some to describe the situation as a ticking methane bomb.
As stated, the Arctic Council must take more concrete action on methane and at the very least align with the Global Methane Pledge (backed by more than 150 countries), and given the accelerated climate impacts in the Arctic aim for a higher ambition striving for reductions of 40% by 2030 from 2020 levels.
Civil society has also initiated a new framework for action on methane which should be supported and championed by all Arctic Council members, the Beyond Methane Pledge focuses on rapidly phasing out methane based Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel.
