World Governments Support Breakthrough Agreement on Mercury

World Governments Support Breakthrough Agreement on Mercury

Nairobi, Kenya – Defying expectations, world environmental ministers agreed today to begin negotiating a treaty to control global mercury pollution. The agreement was made possible by a dramatic shift in the U.S. position by the Obama administration, which supported the creation of a legally binding agreement. The Bush administration had stubbornly opposed any legally binding measures.

Public interest advocates were “elated” by the agreement, said Michael Bender of the Zero Mercury Working Group. “This agreement is not only a breakthrough for global mercury control, but also shows that the Obama Administration is serious about taking a new approach to environmental issues on the international stage.”

The decision represents the consensus of the more than 140 countries gathered here for the 25th UNEP Governing Council meeting. The treaty will include actions to reduce mercury supply, its use in products and processes, and atmospheric mercury emissions, which will ultimately reduce human exposure to mercury globally.

Rico Euripidou, from Groundwork, Friends of the Earth South Africa, noted that “the global treaty will be critical for African countries to have access to resources to deal with their serious mercury problems and to control mercury flows into the continent.”

“This consensus is a huge relief,” said Elena Lymberidi – Settimo, from the European Environmental Bureau and the Zero Mercury Working Group. “The treaty will ensure that the EU not only carries through on its current mercury commitments, but also goes further to reduce global mercury emissions, supply and demand.”

Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that makes its way up the food chain into humans, and puts developing fetuses and young children at risk.
Richard Gutierrez, of the Philippine NGO, Ban Toxics noted that “we are optimistic that the global community is now well on its way towards establishing a treaty to control mercury pollution and effectively safeguard the fish we eat from this poison.”

Faye Ferrer of Health Care Without Harm-Southeast Asia (HCWH-SEA) said that this is a very welcome move for the health sector. “With a legally-binding treaty, we are assured that hospitals and health care systems around the world will be backed by solid policies to finally phase-out mercury.”

The preparations for negotiations will start later this year, and discussions will begin in earnest in 2010, with a goal to wrap up by 2013.


For further information:-

Contact: Michael Bender, mercurypolicy@aol.com, +802-223-9000
Susan Egan Keane, skeane@nrdc.org, +1 212 810 1167

Elena Lymberidi-Settimo, Project Coordinator, Zero Mercury Campaign, European Environmental Bureau: www.zeromercury.org, www.eeb.org; elena.lymberidi@eeb.org; Tel: +32 2 2891301; Mobile: +32 496 532 818

Vanessa Bulkacz, EEB Press & Publications Officer: press@eeb.org; Tel: +32 (0)2 289 1309


Editor’s notes

Mercury is a global pollutant that travels long distances. Its most toxic form – methylmercury - accumulates in large predatory fish and is taken up in our bodies through eating fish, with the worst impacts on babies in utero and small children. For more information, see Zero Mercury Campaign, www.zeromercury.org and “Stay Healthy, Stop Mercury” http://www.env-health.org/r/145

See also:

•http://www.zeromercury.org/press/081205NGOS-PR-CouncilConclMercury-UNEP-GC25final.pdf

•EEB letter sent to Environment Council [18/11/2008] - http://www.eeb.org/activities/General/Eversion-
Environment-Council-5December2008-181108.pdf

•ZMWG comments to the UNEP draft decision on mercury [27/11/2008]
http://www.zeromercury.org/UNEP_developments/081127_ZMWG_comments_on_UNEP_draft_decision_GC25_Mercury-final.pdf


Endnotes:

European Environmental Bureau, (EEB), www.eeb.org, is a federation of over 140 environmental citizens’ organisations based in all EU Member States as well as in neighbouring countries. These organisations range from local and national, to European and international. The aim of the EEB is to protect and improve the environment of Europe and to enable the citizens of Europe to play their part in achieving that goal.

The Zero Mercury Working Group, www.zeromercury.org, is an international coalition of over 75 public-interest non-governmental organisations worldwide formed in 2005 by the European Environmental Bureau and the Mercury Policy Project/Ban Mercury Working Group. The group’s aim is to reach “Zero emissions, demand and supply of mercury, from all sources we can control, towards eliminating mercury in the environment at EU level and globally.”

International POPs Eliminations Network (IPEN), www.ipen.org, is a global network of health and environmental organizations in more than 80 countries working together for a Toxics-Free Future.

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), www.noharm.org, is an international coalition of hospitals and health care systems, medical and nursing professionals, community groups, health-affected constituencies, labour unions, environmental and religious organisations. HCWH is dedicated to transforming the health care industry worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the
environment