Ships plying Arctic and Antarctic waters face specific environmental regulations for the first time, after the International Maritime Organization agreed rules to combat polar pollution on 15 May. The environmental provisions are designed to prevent pollution from oil, sewage and rubbish from vessels, and will begin coming into force in 2017. The rules are an addition to the ‘Polar Code’, which was adopted in 2014 as the first set of standards specifically regulating polar shipping (see go.nature.com/xhsanz).
