This study assesses the environmental and public health benefits of reducing emissions from ships in the North Atlantic Ocean by designating the region as an emission control area (ECA).
As one of the world’s busiest shipping pathway, a large volume of cargo vessels, tankers, and cruise ships traverse the North Atlantic daily. International shipping is a major source of sulfur oxides (SOx), particulate matter (PM), and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to health and environmental problems, including premature deaths and damage to the marine environment, critical marine mammal habitats, and areas of cultural and scientific significance.
One way to mitigate this impact is to establish an ECA, a designated area imposing stricter regulations to control shipping emissions of SOx, PM, and NOx. A previous ICCT assessment found that establishing the North Atlantic Emission Control Area (AtlECA), which includes the territorial seas and exclusive economic zones of the Faroe Islands, France, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, has the potential to significantly reduce emissions from ships by 2030. Additionally, it would serve as a link between already established ECAs in the Baltic, North, and Mediterranean Sea, and connect them with recently approved ECAs in Norwegian Sea and Canadian Arctic.