The Arctic Union has called for the adoption of a resolution regarding the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) ocean current ahead of a meeting of Nordic Council parliamentarians in Finland. This ocean current is one of the main systems of water flows in the Atlantic Ocean, transporting warm, salty water northward and cold, dense water southward.
Risks of Climate Change and AMOC
Arni Finnsson, chairman of the Icelandic Nature Conservation Association, stated: "Given that Iceland has identified changes in the AMOC as a security risk, the Nordic Council must adopt this resolution and urge their governments to become leaders in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including short-lived pollutants such as black carbon and methane." These remarks were made following concerns raised by Iceland's Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate, Johan Paul Johannsson, regarding the impact of climate change on the AMOC.
Immediate Action to Reduce Arctic Warming
The Arctic Union has also urged the Nordic Council countries, including Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway, to reaffirm their commitment to adopting a resolution in October 2025 regarding polar fuels. This resolution calls on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to mandate the use of polar fuels to reduce black carbon emissions from maritime transport in the Arctic. These emissions contribute to the melting of Arctic sea ice and Greenland glaciers.
This resolution instructs Nordic governments to create and implement regulations under the oversight of the International Maritime Organization that mandate the use of cleaner marine fuels. This action will help reduce black carbon emissions from ships operating in the Arctic.
The proposed initiative, led by Denmark and supported by Greenland, Germany, France, and the Solomon Islands, will be presented at an IMO meeting in January. However, this proposal requires broader support, especially from polar countries like Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon, methane, and ozone is one of the immediate identified ways to limit temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius and mitigate the impacts of climate change on planetary systems, including the AMOC.
Following the release of the European Union's Arctic strategy last week, which supports mandatory regulations to reduce black carbon emissions from maritime transport in the Arctic, Nordic Council members must now align with this position and support the polar fuel proposal that will be presented at the IMO in January.
Black carbon, as a short-lived climate pollutant resulting from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, has more than 1600 times the warming effect of carbon dioxide over a twenty-year period and accounts for about 20 percent of the climate impact of international maritime transport. This pollutant not only contributes to warming in the atmosphere but also accelerates melting when it settles on snow and ice.
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