U.S. Could Block International Action on Mercury

[Guest guest]

Comments?

Misty

http://www..com

 

U.S. Could Block International Action on Mercury

By Cat Lazaroff

 

WASHINGTON, DC, January 28, 2003 (ENS) - The United States plans to

attempt to thwart future talks on mercury pollution at an

international meeting next month, suggests an internal document

leaked to a mercury watchdog group. The leaked paper provides

talking points for U.S. negotiators who will argue against

international limits on mercury releases or other mandatory measures

aimed at reducing the risk of mercury exposure.

 

The document was leaked in advance of next week's meeting of the

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council

meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. At the meeting, the council will review

the recommendations of the UNEP Global Mercury Assessment Working

Group, an assembly of about 150 experts which concluded last year

that " there is sufficient evidence of significant global adverse

impacts to warrant international action to reduce the risks to human

health and the environment arising from the release of mercury into

the environment. "

 

Mercury is a toxic metal that is liquid at room temperature. (Photo

courtesy Zyra)The political decisions made by the Governing Council

will set the course for global action on mercury for years to come.

But the United States is preparing to argue in favor of less action,

less funding and less future discussion of the issue.

 

" We believe that negotiating a binding convention on mercury is not

the most effective way to approach this issue at this time, and we

should block any attempts to move forward on one at this meeting, "

advises the U.S. government deliberative document. The U.S.

should " strive to prevent specific references to a convention, " the

document adds, as " Negotiating a convention would be expensive, time

consuming, and extremely difficult. "

 

The document, drafted by John Thompson, foreign affairs officer for

the State Department's Office of Environmental Policy, proposes the

creation of a Mercury Program within the UNEP Chemicals

Division, " for the purpose of facilitating and conducting technical

assistance and capacity building activities to support the efforts

of countries to take action regarding mercury pollution. "

 

However, the document opposes the idea of international targets for

reducing mercury emissions, recommends against additional talks

regarding mercury, and suggests that the UNEP mercury program be

funded by " voluntary contributions " from nations. The U.S.

delegation to the meeting " should oppose convening a formal expert

or policy group meeting such as the September 2002 Mercury Working

Group, " the document states.

 

Fires and fossil fuel burning can add mercury to the environment.

(Photo courtesy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)The UNEP

Working Group met in Geneva, Switzerland in September 2002 and

finalized the global mercury assessment report for submittal to the

Nairobi governing council meeting. The assessment calls for

immediate actions to address the dangers of mercury,

including " launching talks for a legally binding treaty, "

and " reducing risks by reducing or eliminating the production and

consumption of mercury. "

 

In the short term, the working group recommended establishing a non-

binding global program of action, and strengthening cooperation

among governments to share information about mercury risks. The

working group called for more outreach to vulnerable groups such as

pregnant women, additional technical and financial support for

developing countries, and increased funding for research, monitoring

and data collection on the health and environmental aspects of

mercury and on environmentally friendly alternatives to mercury.

 

" These recommendations from the scientists and experts are the first

essential step on the road to reducing and one day eliminating the

environmental and health risks of mercury, " said UNEP Executive Klaus Töpfer after September's meeting in Geneva,

Switzerland. " Now it is up to the politicians and policy makers to

decide just where we go from here. "

 

Mercury is a toxic chemical that can affect the nervous system,

kidneys and liver, and cause developmental problems in both humans

and wildlife. Because it circulates through water systems and the

atmosphere and accumulates in body fat, every human being on earth

has some trace amounts of mercury in his or her body.

 

Incinerators like this one in Chicago, Illinois can release mercury

from medical waste and other sources (Photo courtesy Lake Michigan

Federation)Over the past century, concentrations of mercury in the

atmosphere and ocean increased three-fold. The Food and Drug

Administration and 41 states warn consumers to limit or not eat

certain fish due to mercury contamination, and 10 states advise

pregnant women and children to limit consumption of canned tuna, the

most widely consumed fish in the U.S.

 

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control indicates that one in

12 women of childbearing age have unsafe mercury levels in their

bodies, translating into more than 300,000 children born each year

in the U.S. at risk of exposure to mercury.

 

" There was real progress made at the September UNEP Work Group

meeting in Geneva, with the U.S. agreeing that mercury was a serious

global pollutant warranting international action, " said Michael

Bender, spokesperson for the nonprofit Ban Mercury Work Group

(BMWG), which released the leaked document to the press.

 

" This latest position more reflects the domestic 'holding pattern'

mercury policies of the Bush administration, " he added. Bender,

director of the Mercury Policy Project, will represent the BMWG, a

coalition of 28 nonprofit groups from around the world, at the talks

in Nairobi, scheduled to be held February 3-7.

 

Bender said he suspects that the Bush administration opposes more

binding action on mercury because mandatory cuts in mercury

emissions would heavily impact coal fired power plants, the largest

human source of mercury.

 

" For the largest anthropogenic source of mercury, coal fired power

plants, mercury emissions are just a small part of a much broader

air pollution problem that many nations need to confront, " the

document states.

 

Worker checks the main coal fired furnace at Niagara Mohawk's

Dunkirk steam station in New York. Burning coal for power produces

emissions laced with mercury. (Photo by David Parsons courtesy NREL)

While the UNEP mercury working group also " emphasized that it was

not necessary to have full consensus or complete evidence in order

to take action " on mercury, the U.S. position could have a major

impact on the final recommendations of the Governing Council. The

U.S. will go to the talks prepared to put pressure on nations and

groups that disagree with the U.S. position, including the European

Union.

 

In December, the European Union issued its formal position heading

into February's talks, recommending " that the Member States support

and actively work for concrete international actions to be initiated

on mercury and its compounds, for instance a legally binding

instrument … and that global assessment of other heavy metals such

as lead and cadmium shall commence. "

 

The leaked U.S. government document recommends that

negotiators " oppose assessment of other heavy metals " that

contaminate the environment, such as nickel and cadmium. The

document calls on the U.S. delegation to put the European Union " on

the defensive " by drawing attention to European nations that still

mine mercury, including Algeria, Kyrgystan and Spain.

" Mercury is a toxic time bomb that must be defused by taking

concrete steps, like those outlined in the EU position and in the

declaration of the Latin American and Caribbean countries (GRULAC)

in Geneva in September, " said BMWG spokesperson Bender. " We applaud

the GRULAC declaration - which was supported by Denmark, Norway and

Sweden - stating that a binding international treaty on mercury

should be created. "

 

The U.S. will face opposition not only from other nations, but also

on the home front.

 

Last month, the Environmental Council of the States, an organization

made up of top state government environmental officials across the

U.S., recommended that the federal government support developing,

within six years, a binding international agreement on mercury " to

implement a comprehensive global mercury action plan to reduce and

where feasible eliminate mercury releases, uses and mining. "

 

Any international agreement should also address " global mercury

commodity trading, storage, and disposal, " the council argued.

Karen Studders, former commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution

Control Agency. (Photo courtesy MPCA) " It is clear to states seeking

to reduce the risks of mercury pollution to humans and wildlife that

this issue must be addressed internationally, " wrote Karen Studders,

former commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, in a

December letter to Jeff Lunstead, director of the Office of

Environmental Policy at the State Department. Studders is co-chair

of the Quicksilver Caucus/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Mercury Stewardship Work Group.

 

While federal, state, local and corporate efforts to address mercury

have produced improvments, Studders noted, " we can't significantly

reduce mercury contamination of fish without reductions worldwide

owing to the large contribution of international sources to mercury

deposited in the states. "

 

Recent research has shown that mercury is often deposited in

rainwater and dust carried from sources hundreds or thousands of

miles away. Two studies released in March 2002 show that mercury

generated by fossil fuel burning power plants is falling from the

sky in Antarctica and in the Arctic, and is entering the food chain.

The Ban Mercury Work Group is urging the United States to stick to

earlier pledges to remain open to future treaty talks on global

mercury issues.

 

Swordfish contain some of the highest levels of methylmercury found

in fish. (Photo courtesy World Wide Fund for Nature) " The U.S. agreed

in Geneva that mercury is a serious worldwide pollutant that

warrants international action, " Bender said. " But out of the other

side of their mouth, they're saying they don't want to do anything

about it. "

 

" This is reflective of a lack of experience, and perhaps a lack of

sincerity to really solve the problem, " added Bender. " We recognize

that [a binding treaty] is a significant investment of time and

money, but what choice do we have if we're going to solve this

problem? "

 

For more information on the upcoming UNEP Governing Council talks on

mercury, visit: http://www.chem.unep.ch/mercury

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Misty.

 

Typical of the US government to promote any delaying tactics that might

influence the immediate bottom line. I suppose that they do not consider the

long term damage to the species as " expensive, time consuming and extremely

difficult " . I am beginning to be absolutely convinced that the US government

is bought and paid for by the polluters!

 

I have seen, first hand, the kind of damage mercury can do. My best friend

from Kenton, OH, died from chronic mercury poisoning at the age of 30. He

left behind a 5 year old son. He was an RN. He survived active duty in

Vietnam only to succumb to an insidious poison, still supported by the US

government, at home---when the rest of the world already knows that it, like

lead, has to be purged from the environment!

 

Namaste`

 

Walt Stoll, MD

 

-

<mistytrepke

 

Thursday, January 30, 2003 11:00 PM

U.S. Could Block International Action on

Mercury

 

 

Comments?

Misty

http://www..com

 

U.S. Could Block International Action on Mercury

By Cat Lazaroff

 

WASHINGTON, DC, January 28, 2003 (ENS) - The United States plans to

attempt to thwart future talks on mercury pollution at an

international meeting next month, suggests an internal document

leaked to a mercury watchdog group. The leaked paper provides

talking points for U.S. negotiators who will argue against

international limits on mercury releases or other mandatory measures

aimed at reducing the risk of mercury exposure.

 

The document was leaked in advance of next week's meeting of the

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council

meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. At the meeting, the council will review

the recommendations of the UNEP Global Mercury Assessment Working

Group, an assembly of about 150 experts which concluded last year

that " there is sufficient evidence of significant global adverse

impacts to warrant international action to reduce the risks to human

health and the environment arising from the release of mercury into

the environment. "

 

Mercury is a toxic metal that is liquid at room temperature. (Photo

courtesy Zyra)The political decisions made by the Governing Council

will set the course for global action on mercury for years to come.

But the United States is preparing to argue in favor of less action,

less funding and less future discussion of the issue.

 

" We believe that negotiating a binding convention on mercury is not

the most effective way to approach this issue at this time, and we

should block any attempts to move forward on one at this meeting, "

advises the U.S. government deliberative document. The U.S.

should " strive to prevent specific references to a convention, " the

document adds, as " Negotiating a convention would be expensive, time

consuming, and extremely difficult. "

 

The document, drafted by John Thompson, foreign affairs officer for

the State Department's Office of Environmental Policy, proposes the

creation of a Mercury Program within the UNEP Chemicals

Division, " for the purpose of facilitating and conducting technical

assistance and capacity building activities to support the efforts

of countries to take action regarding mercury pollution. "

 

However, the document opposes the idea of international targets for

reducing mercury emissions, recommends against additional talks

regarding mercury, and suggests that the UNEP mercury program be

funded by " voluntary contributions " from nations. The U.S.

delegation to the meeting " should oppose convening a formal expert

or policy group meeting such as the September 2002 Mercury Working

Group, " the document states.

 

Fires and fossil fuel burning can add mercury to the environment.

(Photo courtesy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)The UNEP

Working Group met in Geneva, Switzerland in September 2002 and

finalized the global mercury assessment report for submittal to the

Nairobi governing council meeting. The assessment calls for

immediate actions to address the dangers of mercury,

including " launching talks for a legally binding treaty, "

and " reducing risks by reducing or eliminating the production and

consumption of mercury. "

 

In the short term, the working group recommended establishing a non-

binding global program of action, and strengthening cooperation

among governments to share information about mercury risks. The

working group called for more outreach to vulnerable groups such as

pregnant women, additional technical and financial support for

developing countries, and increased funding for research, monitoring

and data collection on the health and environmental aspects of

mercury and on environmentally friendly alternatives to mercury.

 

" These recommendations from the scientists and experts are the first

essential step on the road to reducing and one day eliminating the

environmental and health risks of mercury, " said UNEP Executive Klaus Töpfer after September's meeting in Geneva,

Switzerland. " Now it is up to the politicians and policy makers to

decide just where we go from here. "

 

Mercury is a toxic chemical that can affect the nervous system,

kidneys and liver, and cause developmental problems in both humans

and wildlife. Because it circulates through water systems and the

atmosphere and accumulates in body fat, every human being on earth

has some trace amounts of mercury in his or her body.

 

Incinerators like this one in Chicago, Illinois can release mercury

from medical waste and other sources (Photo courtesy Lake Michigan

Federation)Over the past century, concentrations of mercury in the

atmosphere and ocean increased three-fold. The Food and Drug

Administration and 41 states warn consumers to limit or not eat

certain fish due to mercury contamination, and 10 states advise

pregnant women and children to limit consumption of canned tuna, the

most widely consumed fish in the U.S.

 

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control indicates that one in

12 women of childbearing age have unsafe mercury levels in their

bodies, translating into more than 300,000 children born each year

in the U.S. at risk of exposure to mercury.

 

" There was real progress made at the September UNEP Work Group

meeting in Geneva, with the U.S. agreeing that mercury was a serious

global pollutant warranting international action, " said Michael

Bender, spokesperson for the nonprofit Ban Mercury Work Group

(BMWG), which released the leaked document to the press.

 

" This latest position more reflects the domestic 'holding pattern'

mercury policies of the Bush administration, " he added. Bender,

director of the Mercury Policy Project, will represent the BMWG, a

coalition of 28 nonprofit groups from around the world, at the talks

in Nairobi, scheduled to be held February 3-7.

 

Bender said he suspects that the Bush administration opposes more

binding action on mercury because mandatory cuts in mercury

emissions would heavily impact coal fired power plants, the largest

human source of mercury.

 

" For the largest anthropogenic source of mercury, coal fired power

plants, mercury emissions are just a small part of a much broader

air pollution problem that many nations need to confront, " the

document states.

 

Worker checks the main coal fired furnace at Niagara Mohawk's

Dunkirk steam station in New York. Burning coal for power produces

emissions laced with mercury. (Photo by David Parsons courtesy NREL)

While the UNEP mercury working group also " emphasized that it was

not necessary to have full consensus or complete evidence in order

to take action " on mercury, the U.S. position could have a major

impact on the final recommendations of the Governing Council. The

U.S. will go to the talks prepared to put pressure on nations and

groups that disagree with the U.S. position, including the European

Union.

 

In December, the European Union issued its formal position heading

into February's talks, recommending " that the Member States support

and actively work for concrete international actions to be initiated

on mercury and its compounds, for instance a legally binding

instrument . and that global assessment of other heavy metals such

as lead and cadmium shall commence. "

 

The leaked U.S. government document recommends that

negotiators " oppose assessment of other heavy metals " that

contaminate the environment, such as nickel and cadmium. The

document calls on the U.S. delegation to put the European Union " on

the defensive " by drawing attention to European nations that still

mine mercury, including Algeria, Kyrgystan and Spain.

" Mercury is a toxic time bomb that must be defused by taking

concrete steps, like those outlined in the EU position and in the

declaration of the Latin American and Caribbean countries (GRULAC)

in Geneva in September, " said BMWG spokesperson Bender. " We applaud

the GRULAC declaration - which was supported by Denmark, Norway and

Sweden - stating that a binding international treaty on mercury

should be created. "

 

The U.S. will face opposition not only from other nations, but also

on the home front.

 

Last month, the Environmental Council of the States, an organization

made up of top state government environmental officials across the

U.S., recommended that the federal government support developing,

within six years, a binding international agreement on mercury " to

implement a comprehensive global mercury action plan to reduce and

where feasible eliminate mercury releases, uses and mining. "

 

Any international agreement should also address " global mercury

commodity trading, storage, and disposal, " the council argued.

Karen Studders, former commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution

Control Agency. (Photo courtesy MPCA) " It is clear to states seeking

to reduce the risks of mercury pollution to humans and wildlife that

this issue must be addressed internationally, " wrote Karen Studders,

former commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, in a

December letter to Jeff Lunstead, director of the Office of

Environmental Policy at the State Department. Studders is co-chair

of the Quicksilver Caucus/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Mercury Stewardship Work Group.

 

While federal, state, local and corporate efforts to address mercury

have produced improvments, Studders noted, " we can't significantly

reduce mercury contamination of fish without reductions worldwide

owing to the large contribution of international sources to mercury

deposited in the states. "

 

Recent research has shown that mercury is often deposited in

rainwater and dust carried from sources hundreds or thousands of

miles away. Two studies released in March 2002 show that mercury

generated by fossil fuel burning power plants is falling from the

sky in Antarctica and in the Arctic, and is entering the food chain.

The Ban Mercury Work Group is urging the United States to stick to

earlier pledges to remain open to future treaty talks on global

mercury issues.

 

Swordfish contain some of the highest levels of methylmercury found

in fish. (Photo courtesy World Wide Fund for Nature) " The U.S. agreed

in Geneva that mercury is a serious worldwide pollutant that

warrants international action, " Bender said. " But out of the other

side of their mouth, they're saying they don't want to do anything

about it. "

 

" This is reflective of a lack of experience, and perhaps a lack of

sincerity to really solve the problem, " added Bender. " We recognize

that [a binding treaty] is a significant investment of time and

money, but what choice do we have if we're going to solve this

problem? "

 

For more information on the upcoming UNEP Governing Council talks on

mercury, visit: http://www.chem.unep.ch/mercury