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 include:
Andrew Eil (U.S. State Department): The Arctic Black Carbon Initiative in the Context of International Climate and Arctic Diplomacy
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): 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
Teresa Kuklinski (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), Meredydd Evans (Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory): EPA's black carbon diesel initiative in the Russian Arctic – overview and focus on the Murmansk Emissions Inventory
Brad Kinder and Wei Min Hao (U.S. Forest Service): Fires and Arctic Black Carbon in Russia: Emissions Inventory, Transport, and Mitigation Options
For more information on how to join the webinar, please visit the link above.