Melting ice brings more ships – and more pollution – to Arctic waters » Yale Climate Connections

Transcript:

As the climate warms, sea ice is melting, and ships are able to navigate some areas of the Arctic that were once impassable.

Davin: “This is producing new opportunities for trade and for development.”

But Sam Davin of the World Wildlife Fund Canada says it also creates new problems for Arctic communities and wildlife.

Most ships burn heavy fuel oil, which creates air pollution that can harm people’s health.

So last year, the International Maritime Organization approved new regulations to help limit some of this pollution in the Canadian Arctic.

They will require ship operators to reduce airborne emissions – for example, by switching to cleaner fuel.

Davin: “But there’s a lot more to be done.”

For example, the rules allow ships to comply by using technology called scrubbers.

Davin: “They capture sulfur oxides that are emitted from engine and boiler exhaust, mix them with seawater to capture those contaminants, and then they discharge this now polluted seawater back into the ocean.”

He says this discharge is acidic and contains heavy metals and other pollutants, so it can harm marine ecosystems.

So he says more ambitious steps are needed, to protect Arctic waters and the people who depend on them.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media