Minamata Convention on Mercury
Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013
United States views on international law [1] in relation to Minamata Convention on Mercury: On January 19, 2013, after four years of negotiations, the United States and more than one hundred other governments adopted the Minamata Convention, a global agreement to reduce mercury pollution. A January 31, 2013 press statement issued by the State Department's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, available at (Secretary of State website) state.gov/e/oes/rls/pr/2013/203651.htm, is excerpted below.
Some Aspects of Minamata Convention on Mercury
… Mercury warrants global attention due to its long-range atmospheric transport, its persistence in the environment, and its significant negative effect on human health and the environment. Mercury exposure is a major public health threat, particularly for children and women of childbearing age. Mercury can damage or impair the functioning of nerve tissue and even permanently damage the brain, kidneys, and developing fetus. According to most estimates, global sources contribute at least 70 percent of total U.S. mercury deposition.
Developments
The agreement, known as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, calls for the reduction of mercury emissions to the air and a decrease in the use of mercury in products and industrial processes. It will help reduce the supply of mercury by, among other things, ending primary mercury mining. The Convention will ensure environmentally sound storage of mercury and disposal of waste. The agreement also calls on governments to address the use of mercury in small-scale gold mining, which uses and releases large amounts of mercury.
Details
“We are very pleased with the outcome of these negotiations. Transboundary air emissions are a significant global challenge that no single country can solve on its own,” said Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Kerri-Ann Jones. “This agreement is an enormous success that will allow us to work together in coming years with countries around the world to make a meaningful difference in addressing mercury pollution.”
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The convention will be open for signature at a Diplomatic Conference in Japan in October. The name of the convention pays respect to Minamata, the Japanese city that experienced severe mercury pollution in the mid-20th century. Many local citizens of Minamata suffered from a neurological syndrome caused by mercury poisoning, which became known as Minamata disease, from consuming contaminated fish and shellfish from Minamata Bay.
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On November 6, 2013, the United States formally joined the Minamata Convention on Mercury, depositing its instrument of acceptance to enable it to become a party to the Convention. A Department of State media note, available at (Secretary of State website) state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/11/217295.htm, provides U.S. views on the significance of the Minamata Convention:
The Minamata Convention represents a global step forward to reduce exposure to mercury, a toxic chemical with significant health effects on the brain and nervous system. The United States has already taken significant steps to reduce the amount of mercury we generate and release to the environment, and can implement Convention obligations under existing legislative and regulatory authority. The Minamata Convention complements domestic measures by addressing the transnational nature of the problem.
Resources
Notes
- Minamata Convention on Mercury in the Digest of United States Practice in International Law
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