IMO Polar Fuels Rule Targets Arctic Shipping Black Carbon Emissions | Carbon Credit News

A proposed IMO polar fuel standard aims to close a critical regulatory gap by directly targeting black carbon emissions from ships in the Arctic. Black carbon is a potent climate pollutant with a warming potential over 1600 times greater than CO2, and shipping emissions in the region doubled between 2015 and 2021. The rule would require cleaner distillate fuels like marine gas oil, complementing existing Emission Control Areas and the Arctic heavy fuel oil ban. Current regulations like ECAs and the HFO ban do not specifically address black carbon, leaving ships able to use fuels or technologies that still emit high levels of the pollutant. The polar fuel measure would prevent the use of ultra-low sulphur fuel oils and heavy residual fuels with scrubbers, directly curbing the particles that accelerate ice melt and warming in the Arctic. Co-sponsored by Denmark, Germany, France, and the Solomon Islands, the proposal is under discussion at the IMO. Environmental groups support applying the measure across the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme boundary. The rule represents a concrete step in climate policy with practical implications for shipping, carbon markets, and emissions reduction in sensitive ecosystems.