Via Martina Sapio at POLITICO Europe: A Chinese company is preparing to sail a cargo ship along Russia's northern coast to Europe— a test run made possible by melting ice and accelerating climate change, and one that has implications for both international trade and the environment. ... But the opportunity comes with heavy risk. The Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the rest of the planet. Less ice may make passage easier, but it also magnifies the damage when things go wrong. Black carbon from bunker fuels is especially destructive when released near snow and ice. “It does five times the damage there than if it’s emitted farther away,” said Andrew Dumbrille, adviser to the Clean Arctic Alliance. Add the reality that spill response in the Arctic is slow and limited, and the stakes rise sharply. “Once oil is in the water, every hour without response means huge damage," he said. And the vessel making this pioneering run hardly inspires confidence. The Istanbul Bridge — a 25-year-old, Liberian-flagged container ship — is not ice-strengthened, Dumbrille noted. “There will be an escort around it, but still, it’s not strengthened. It also will likely use heavy fuel oil on its journey, or bunker fuels.” https://lnkd.in/dkjvh77K Equal Routes Sian Prior Eelco Leemans Bill Hemmings Malte Humpert Clean Air Fund
