The Expert Group on Black Carbon and Methane (EGBCM) held its third meeting in Washington DC, US on October 25-26, 2016. Karen Florini (United States) chaired the meeting. Participants included seven Arctic States (Canada, Finland, Iceland, Kingdom of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the United States); one Permanent Participant organization (the Arctic Athabaskan Council); three Observer States (Italy, Japan, and Korea); the European Union; and two Arctic Council working groups (AMAP and ACAP).
Summary of Progress and Recommendations were revised in various detailed points. The areas covered are listed below.
# Mobile diesel sources
# Oil/gas methane and flaring
# Residential wood combustion appliances
# Solid waste
Expressions were refined in the following categories.
# Ambitious, quantitative, aspirational, collective black carbon goal
# Lessons learned
In addition to these points, the following two new subjects were discussed.
1) Zero routine flaring by 2030: A global black carbon and mitigation action
World Bank is making efforts to stop gas flaring. Detailed explanations were presented by a specialist from the World Bank.
2) Shipping recommendations
Within the Arctic, shipping currently accounts for about 5% of black carbon emissions, and 1% of black carbon deposition on Arctic snow and ice. Absent emission controls, shipping emissions could double by 2030 under some projections of Arctic vessel traffic. Recommendations to reduce the anticipated increase of black carbon emissions from shipping in the Arctic were discussed.
Final paper is to be presented to SAOs on January 16, 2017.
Yutaka Kondo, NIPR
(A member of the Atmospheric climate forcers in the Arctic)
