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An EU Initiative to Support International Policy to Reduce Black Carbon

An EU Initiative to Support International Policy to Reduce Black Carbon

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Promoting clear commitments and targets for reducing black carbon emissions
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Enhancing international cooperation on black carbon policy in the Arctic region

News

ABC-iCAP Products now available

24.01.24

Link to ABC-iCAP Products now available

Webinar: 3rd ABC-iCAP webinar on Arctic fires, 13 November 2023 - Recording available

25.09.23

Link to Webinar: 3rd ABC-iCAP webinar on Arctic fires, 13 November 2023 - Recording available

Webinar: Urgent Need to Cut Black Carbon from Shipping - Recording available

18.09.23

Link to Webinar: Urgent Need to Cut Black Carbon from Shipping - Recording available

Arctic Black Carbon impacting on Climate and Air Pollution (ABC-iCAP)

The Arctic Black Carbon impacting on Climate and Air Pollution (ABC-iCAP) project is an EU-funded initiative supporting collaborative actions on the reduction of black carbon emissions from specific source sectors impacting the Arctic. Synergies with other short-lived climate forcers such as methane will also be explored. The project builds on the earlier EU-funded Action on Black Carbon in the Arctic (EUA-BCA) that was implemented between 2018 and 2021. This website presents results of work conducted under both of these initiatives

The focus of the new project is on stakeholder engagement, awareness building and knowledge sharing. It will continue to address the sources of black carbon that are of particular relevance to the Arctic, i.e., sources associated with gas flaring, wildfires / open burning, transport and residential heating. The project addresses elements of the 2021 revised EU Arctic Policy and priorities established under the European Green Deal initiative and will contribute, in particular, to work under the Arctic Council and UN ECE Air Convention by:

  • Promoting national, regional and international collaboration to build and share relevant knowledge, raising awareness, conducting communications and outreach, and performing expert analysis with strategic partners and stakeholders;
  • Enhancing collaboration with non-EU Arctic countries, in particular Canada and the USA;
  • Contributing to work addressing black carbon and methane under the Arctic Council, UN ECE Air Convention and Barents Euro-Arctic Council; and 
  • Increasing awareness and knowledge sharing in cooperation with international and regional actions to reduce black carbon emissions under the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), OECD, UNFCCC / IPCC, World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) partnership and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

AMAP Secretariat is responsible for co-managing project implementation together with the two implementing partners in the Action:

  • Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
  • Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL)

and eight project key partners:

  • Carbon Limits, Norway
  • Environment Agency of Austria (EAA)
  • Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI)
  • International Climate and Cryosphere Initiative (ICCI) – Europe (Sweden)
  • International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) (Austria)
  • INTERACT Non-Profit Association (INPA) (Sweden)
  • Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU)
  • Norwegian Institute for Public Health (NIPH)

An EU Partnership Action

The ABC-iCAP will be implemented over two-years (2022–2023) supported by an EU Partnership Instrument grant of almost 820,000 EUR


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Domestic Heating

Wood stoves and the burning of coal to heat homes emit black carbon to the atmosphere and can be a health hazard.

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Gas Flaring

Flaring is used extensively in the oil and gas industry to burn unwanted flammable gases and a major source of black carbon emissions affecting Arctic regions.

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Maritime Shipping

Expected increases in shipping in the Arctic could lead to much higher emissions of black carbon in the Arctic than today.

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Diesel engines

Diesel engines used in heavy road vehicles, ships and machinery constitute a significant source of black carbon in the Arctic.

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Open Burning

Wildfires and agricultural fires may be underestimated sources of black carbon emissions that pollutes the Arctic

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Policy Action

The road towards reduced emission of black carbon include applying the best available technologies and practices

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