EU Action on Black Carbon in the Arctic

The EU-funded Action on Black Carbon in the Arctic is an initiative sponsored by the European Union to contribute to the development of collective responses to reduce black carbon emissions in the Arctic and to reinforce international cooperation to protect the Arctic environment. It provides and communicates knowledge about sources and emissions of black carbon and supports relevant international policy processes.

Black carbon or soot is produced by incomplete burning of wood and fossil fuels. When these dark particles land on snow or ice they absorb heat from the sun, increasing rates of melting. Black carbon contributes significantly to overall warming in the Arctic.

The Action will contribute to the development of collective responses to reduce black carbon emissions in the Arctic by:

• Supporting processes aimed at setting clear commitments and/or targets for reducing black carbon emissions from major BC sources (gas flaring, domestic heating, maritime shipping)
• Enhancing international cooperation on black carbon policy in the Arctic region – with a special focus on supporting the work of the Arctic Council and Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and other national, regional and international initiatives, and building strong collaboration with EU strategic partners.

The Virtual Forum event will present recent advances in knowledge on current and future scenarios, black carbon emissions reduction strategies and identify areas where regional and global collaboration can be enhanced. An international panel will stimulate discussion on where and to what degree bold actions can be undertaken to curb black carbon emissions impacting the Arctic region and other parts of the world.

The Arctic Monitoring & Assessment Programme (AMAP) Secretariat is responsible for managing project implementation, and working with the six implementing partners in the Action:

• Carbon Limits, Norway
• Environment Agency of Austria (EAA)
• Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
• International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
• Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU)
• Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL)

Last edited: 29 April 2021