Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)

HTAP Meeting Potsdam, 17-19 February 2016

Martin Forsius (AMAP WG Chair) ([email protected]) Simon Wilson (AMAP Secretariat) ([email protected]) [email protected] www.amap.no Council and AMAP

Arctic Council: “a high-level forum for political discussions on common issues to the governments of the Arctic States and its inhabitants. It is the only circumpolar forum for political discussions on Arctic issues, involving all the Arctic states, and with the active participation of its Indigenous Peoples.”

AMAP: "provides reliable and sufficient information on the status of, and threats to, the Arctic environment, and provides scientific advice on actions to be taken in order to support Arctic governments in their efforts to take remedial and preventive actions relating to contaminants and adverse effects of “

The Arctic Council have mandated AMAP to support the development and implementation of international agreements including the UN ECE Convention on Long- range Transboundary

National implementation Regional coordination

Based on national activities (e.g. Canada High degree of coordination with other NCP, Greenlandic AMAP MP); relevant regional monitoring Harmonization where necessary programmes

Arctic (background) air monitoring

Station Nord, Greenland Alert, Ellesmere Island, Canada Zeppelin, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

Stórhöfði , Iceland Pallas, Arctic Finland AMAP Assessment 2006: Acidifying Pollutants, Arctic and Acidification in the Arctic

Recommendation:

Future AMAP assessments view acidification and arctic haze in the wider context of air pollution and climate change. The issues addressed in this more integrated type of assessment should include hemispheric transport of air pollutants, emissions from forest fires, particulate matter, and climate change effects. AMAP Assessment 2009: POPs in the Arctic

Recommendation:

Encourage countries that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Stockholm Convention and LRTAP POPs Protocol.

AMAP Assessment 2011: in the Arctic

Recommendations: • A legally-binding global agreement to control mercury emissions must be established ... • Existing international agreements such as those under the UN ECE LRTAP Convention, should continue to receive the support of the Arctic Council to ensure that the best-available scientific information from Arctic studies is made available to these processes. • Implement monitoring of mercury in air and mercury deposition at additional Arctic sites and to extend mercury measurements in the central basins of the Arctic Ocean. AMAP Assessments of Human Health in the Arctic

Focus to date: • Contaminant effects on the Arctic general population. • Dietary exposure (to POPs and metals (mercury)). • Health effects in areas around smelters in north-western Russia. • Combined effects on health of contaminants and other stressors (including climate change related)

AMAP Assessments 2015: Methane, Black and as Arctic Climate-Forcers

Identify the need to continue to improve the scientific basis for Arctic Council work on SLCPs … future work should:

• Improve the spatial, temporal, and sectoral resolution of anthropogenic emissions • Include increased monitoring, research, and modelling. • Consider SLCP mitigation options in an integrated manner that takes into account SLCPs, greenhouse gases, and co-emitted air pollutants • Include in this integrated work the assessment of the cost-effectiveness of measures to reduce SLCPs and co-emitted air pollutants. • Address the co-benefits to human and ecosystem health from actions on carbon dioxide, SLCPs, and other air pollutants. Upcoming AMAP Assessments

Provides information 2.1 PFAS for Convention 2.2 BFRs 2.3 CFR Committees 2.4 PFRs responsible for 2.5 Phthalates listing new chemicals 2.6 SCCPs Chemicals of 2.7 Siloxanes Presence in the Emerging Arctic 2.8 PPCPs Arctic is recognized Concern 2.9 PCNs as a criterion for (2016) 2.10 HCBD classification of 2.11 CUPs 2.12 PCP and PCA substances as as 2.13 Organotins (environmentally) 2.14 PAHs Persistent 2.15 Byproduct PCBs 2.16 HNPs 2.17 Plastics Thank you www.amap.no