Berlin, 28 May 2025 — Previous assessments may have significantly underestimated the climate impact of EU shipping in the Arctic by focusing only on vessels flying EU flags, a new report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) finds. The study, Black carbon and CO2 emissions from EU-regulated shipping in the Arctic, shows that between 2015 and 2021, black carbon (BC) emissions in the region nearly doubled — with a substantial share coming from ships traveling to and from EU ports.
Black carbon, typically produced by incomplete combustion in marine engines, contributes to global warming and is linked to health impacts, including lung cancer, respiratory illness, and cardiopulmonary disease. It is considered a key driver of the rapid loss of Arctic Sea ice, a region experiencing significant environmental stress due to rapid warming, with temperatures rising three to four times faster than the global average. (....)