Quantifying Black Carbon Emissions Using Non-Instrumental Methods: a Framework Applied to Coast Guard Fleet in the Philippines

Abstract

Black carbon (BC) emissions originating from the maritime sector pose serious risks to both the global climate and human health. A short-lived climate pollutant that contributes to the melting of Arctic ice, influences weather patterns, and is associated with cardiopulmonary diseases. Despite its impact, several domestic fleets and those operated by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) lack real-time onboard monitoring capability for BC emission measurement. This disparity stresses the need to use alternative non-instrumental methods for accurate emission tracking, eventually leading to the development of effective mitigation strategies. We develop a systematic framework for estimating BC emissions, using existing data and acknowledged guidelines, identifying the key high-emission activities, particularly berthing, which account for a large share of total emissions. We find that berthing contributes 70% of the sampled emissions, significantly more than the underway phase (27%) and the docking and undocking phases (3%). The total sampled emissions are 0.1707 metric tons, with 0.1203 metric tons from berthing alone. This research exhibits that non-instrumental approaches can reliably produce BC emission profiles in data-scarce settings, with the emphasis on the importance of prioritizing port-related emissions for effective policy implementation. The framework, based on European Environment Agency (EEA) Guidelines coupled with ship details and activity profiling, offers a solid and repeatable method for establishing baseline emission inventories, assisting informed policy decisions, and sustainable maritime practices. This novel application of non-instrumental techniques to a real-world fleet without advanced monitoring shows its potential for broader use, offering a practical route reducing global BC emissions.