Arctic Marine Habitat
Climate change is causing the Arctic to warm at twice the global rate. Climate scientists estimate that by 2050, the Arctic will likely become ice free during the summer months, which will lead to large-scale commercial shipping through Russia’s Northern Sea Route, and eventually through the fabled Northwest Passage.
Increased ship traffic will drastically increase underwater noise within the Arctic, impairing the ability of belugas and other vulnerable marine mammal species to effectively communicate, navigate, reproduce, and locate prey through sound.
Continued exploration for oil and natural gas and the use of dirty ship fuels will also increase the likelihood of a catastrophic oil spill in the Arctic, which would be particularly devastating due to very little spill response and cleanup infrastructure and capabilities. EIA and NGO partners within the Clean Arctic Alliance spearheaded the implementation of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) ban on heavy fuel oil (HFO), the world’s most polluting ship fuel. However, in its current form, critical loopholes still exist that industry will no doubt exploit. EIA will continue to engage with Arctic country governments in order to strengthen the ban by eliminating industry-favorable loopholes.