UN Reaches Landmark Agreement to Cut Mercury Pollution
Representatives from more than 140 countries today committed to reduce global mercury pollution, which will help protect the world’s citizens from the dangerous neurotoxin. The agreement was made possible by the Obama administration’s reversal in U.S. policy, which also influenced policy reversals of other countries, including China and India.
Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that travels thousands of miles from its source through air and water, accumulating in large predatory fish, and poisons people mainly through the consumption of contaminated fish, including tuna. Mercury is especially dangerous for pregnant women, babies and small children, as it can impede brain development.
The announcement is an huge step forward in the fight against mercury pollution, according to scientists and policy experts.
“This is great news for reducing mercury pollution around the world, and shows a commitment from the Obama Administration to international environmental issues,” said Susan Egan Keane, policy analyst for NRDC, in a statement. “The United States has taken a leadership role that will chart a new course on mercury protections around the world. We have set a strong example that is already influencing others to do the same.”
Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury air emissions worldwide – emitting 50 tons of mercury pollution every year in the U.S. alone. Currently, coal-fired power plants supply 75 percent of China’s energy; in the next eight years, China is expected to add more than one new plant each week. The China problem is exacerbated by the low-quality dirty coal burned in most of its plants.
The United Nations Environment Program Governing Council, which is meeting this week in Nairobi, Kenya, will now develop a legally binding treaty to be enacted by 2013.
Image: CC Licensed by flickr user dave_7
