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The worst polluters in the Arctic are not what you think

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DIG DEEPER at Norwegian SciTech News:
https://norwegianscitechnews.com/2022/05/the-worst-polluters-in-the-arctic-are-not-what-you-think/

More than 600 fishing vessels sail the icy waters of the Arctic. But just over two dozen big tankers are the worst offenders when it comes to air pollution in this vulnerable region.

In 2021, just 26 natural gas tankers cruised through Arctic waters, as compared to the hundreds of fishing vessels that also ply these rich fishing grounds.

But the giant tankers, which can be 300 metres long or more, account for the largest share of CO2 emissions by far, a new analysis shows. While combined ship traffic in the Arctic region emitted 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019, the tankers accounted for 788 000 tonnes (almost 28%).

“Even though fishing vessels far outnumber natural gas (LNG) tankers, gas tankers are responsible for nearly 30% percent of all CO2 emissions from ship traffic in the Arctic,” said Ekaterina Kim, an associate professor at NTNU’s Department of Marine Technology, who conducted the study. “And the number of tankers operating in the Arctic has increased from 4 to 26 since 2017.”

The numbers matter because climate change is shrinking the Arctic ice cover, making it easier for ships to travel along the northern coast of Russia, known as the Northern Sea Route. The most current estimates suggest that most of the Arctic Ocean could become ice-free during the summer as early as 2050.

DIG DEEPER at Norwegian SciTech News:
https://norwegianscitechnews.com/2022/05/the-worst-polluters-in-the-arctic-are-not-what-you-think/
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