ID :
158349
Fri, 01/28/2011 - 17:44
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/158349
The shortlink copeid
Talks on curbing mercury end in Chiba, to continue until 2013
CHIBA, Japan, Jan. 28 Kyodo - An international meeting aimed at formulating what would be the first global legally binding treaty for cutting mercury emissions wrapped up in the city of Chiba on Friday, agreeing to continue negotiations until 2013 when the adoption of a treaty is planned.
During the five-day meeting from Monday, around 600 participants including government officials and members of nongovernmental organizations from about 130 countries discussed a draft treaty presented last fall by the U.N. Environment Program, which would basically prohibit the export of mercury and sales of products containing it.
Participants in the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on mercury exchanged opinions on ways to dispose of and store mercury, which is used to extract gold in mining in developing nations.
Japan has proposed that the treaty be named after Minamata mercury-poisoning disease, caused after a chemical maker dumped water contaminated with mercury into the sea at its plant in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, in southwestern Japan.
On Friday, Minamata sufferers took part in one of the events held on the sidelines of the negotiations and related their suffering.
But Japan, which exports over 100 tons of mercury every year, will have to make changes to its disposal of mercury if exports are prohibited.
There will be three more sessions of negotiations until 2013 and the next round will take place in Africa in the autumn. The first session was held in Stockholm in June 2010.
During the five-day meeting from Monday, around 600 participants including government officials and members of nongovernmental organizations from about 130 countries discussed a draft treaty presented last fall by the U.N. Environment Program, which would basically prohibit the export of mercury and sales of products containing it.
Participants in the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on mercury exchanged opinions on ways to dispose of and store mercury, which is used to extract gold in mining in developing nations.
Japan has proposed that the treaty be named after Minamata mercury-poisoning disease, caused after a chemical maker dumped water contaminated with mercury into the sea at its plant in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, in southwestern Japan.
On Friday, Minamata sufferers took part in one of the events held on the sidelines of the negotiations and related their suffering.
But Japan, which exports over 100 tons of mercury every year, will have to make changes to its disposal of mercury if exports are prohibited.
There will be three more sessions of negotiations until 2013 and the next round will take place in Africa in the autumn. The first session was held in Stockholm in June 2010.
