Synopsis
The Arctic black carbon mitigation initiative grew out of a series of workshops in 2007-8 that were organized by two NGOs, the Clean Air Task Force and the Climate Policy Center, and eventually the international Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP). In 2009 the U.S. Department of State committed $5M toward international cooperation aimed at reducing black carbon emissions in and around the Arctic http://cop15.state.gov/pressroom/133771.html. On the U.S. side, this effort is currently being carried by EPA, DOE and USDA, with a focus on developing emission inventories, mitigation strategies and policies for minimizing black carbon fossil fuel and biomass burning impacts. The U.S. emphasis is on partnerships with the Russian Federation . U.S. mitigation efforts are motivated by concern that the amount of absorbing aerosol deposited on high-latitude snow and ice surfaces is significant, and has measurable impacts on Arctic climate. Russian Federation concerns with black carbon are more centered on human health issues. The mitigation efforts have 3 focus areas : transportation, residential/industrial pollution and biomass burning.
Speakers
The Arctic Black Carbon Initiative in the Context of International Climate and Arctic Diplomacy
Andrew Eil (U.S. State Department)
DOE's black carbon initiative in the Arctic - Potential Russian Sources, Russian BC Emissions Inventory, and Assessment of Emissions Reduction Strategies for the Murmansk Region
Elke Hodson, Joe Cresko (U.S. Department of Energy)
MD Cheng, John Storey, Vitaly Prikhodko, Mary Eibl (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
Joshua Fu, Kan Huang (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
EPA's black carbon diesel initiative in the Russian Arctic – overview and focus on the Murmansk Emissions Inventory
Teresa Kuklinski (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Meredydd Evans (Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Fires and Arctic Black Carbon in Russia: Emissions Inventory, Transport, and Mitigation Options
Brad Kinder and Wei Min Hao (U.S. Forest Service)
Presentations
Presentations for March 28 IARPC/AIT Webinar
The Arctic Black Carbon Initiative in the Context of International Climate and Arctic Diplomacy
Download DOS Slides (PDF - 867 KB)
Andrew Eil (U.S. State Department)
The Arctic Black Carbon Initiative (ABCI) represents one of the first significant international programs to address black carbon, and one that has been followed by a number of others prominent efforts under auspices of the Arctic Council, the LRTAP Convention, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Global Environmental Facility, and the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission. The State Department coordinates many of these international efforts, and also provided most of the resources for the ABCI through one of the Obama administration's signature development assistance programs, the Global Climate Change Initiative.
DOE's black carbon initiative in the Arctic - Potential Russian Sources, Russian BC Emissions Inventory, and Assessment of Emissions Reduction Strategies for the Murmansk Region
Elke Hodson, Joe Cresko (U.S. Department of Energy)
MD Cheng, John Storey, Vitaly Prikhodko, Mary Eibl (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
Joshua Fu, Kan Huang (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)In concert with ACAP goals, the DOE Arctic BC Initiative seeks to minimize black carbon (BC) emissions from the Russian industrial and heat & power sectors, with a focus on emissions from regions impacting the Arctic environment. Initial DOE efforts sought to expand the understanding of sources of black carbon (BC), and the transport of those emissions that are impacting the Arctic. This included an emissions inventory for the Russian Federation to address existing gaps in the global emissions inventory (EDGAR). In addition, a method of back trajectory modeling known as Potential Source Contribution Function was used to identify regions in Russia that have a high probability of contributing to BC deposition in the Arctic. This foundational work has improved the understanding of the sources - and likely transport pathways - for a wide range of BC emissions across the Russian Federation. Building on those activities, current efforts are aimed at a demonstration project in Murmansk – with the goals of connecting emissions reduction potentials to energy efficiency improvements, through both the direct measurement of BC emissions and an assessment of energy efficiency of Murmansk combined heat & power (CHP) sources. Results will help determine the technical potential for reducing BC emissions from fuel switching and/or energy efficiency measures and will be incorporated into a BC Emissions Scenario Calculator Toolkit for education and outreach. With the help of a partner in Murmansk, we will use the BC Scenario Tool to demonstrate the co-benefits of energy efficiency and BC emissions reduction and provide outreach related to these topics.
EPA's black carbon diesel initiative in the Russian Arctic – overview and focus on the Murmansk Emissions Inventory
Download EPA Slides (PDF - 376 KB)
Teresa Kuklinski (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Meredydd Evans (Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)EPA is working to reduce black carbon from diesel sources in the Russian Arctic by completing: 1) scoping activities and a baseline assessment; 2) an emissions inventory; 3) pilot mitigation projects; and 4) policy and financing recommendations. The project is part of a larger US effort to reduce black carbon in the Russian Arctic under the Arctic Black Carbon Initiative and reports to both the US-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission Environment Working Group and the Arctic Council's Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP).
Fires and Arctic Black Carbon in Russia: Emissions Inventory, Transport, and Mitigation Options
Download USDA Slides (PDF - 2.4 MB)
Brad Kinder and Wei Min Hao (U.S. Forest Service)
Since 2010, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has been coordinating a USDA multi-agency program to conduct an emissions inventory of black carbon from fires and burning in Russia, examine transport of black carbon from these sources to the Arctic, and identify and implement activities to address agricultural burning and human-caused fires. USFS has taken the lead in conducting the emissions inventory and developing tools to identify transport potential of source locations in the U.S. Other USDA agencies have also played a substantive role. The Agricultural Research Service in cooperation with the University of Maryland has been working to improve mapping of burned area in Russia and the Foreign Agricultural Service has worked with partners in Russia to identify options for mitigating agricultural burning.
List of Contact Emails
keating.terry [at] epa.gov
eilag [at] state.gov
kuklinski.teresa [at] epa.gov
joe.cresko [at] ee.doe.gov
elke.hodson [at] hq.doe.gov
blkinder [at] fs.fed.us
whao [at] fs.fed.us