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ARTICLE · 23 NOVEMBER 2013

Canada Signs Global Treaty To Reduce Mercury Emissions

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While Canada lags (or obstructs) meaningful progress on greenhouse gas emissions, our federal government has taken a better approach to mercury. We reported in June 2010 that a global agreement to restrict mercury emissions was under discussion. Now it’s almost here.

CanadaEnvironment
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While  Canada lags (or obstructs)  meaningful progress on  greenhouse gas emissions, our federal government has taken a better approach to mercury. We reported in June 2010 that a global agreement to restrict mercury emissions was under discussion. Now it's almost here.

On October 10, 2013, Environment Canada announced that it signed the Minamata Convention through the United Nations Environment Program. The negotiating committee met five times, between June 10, 2010 and January 18, 2013. The text was adopted and opened for signature at a conference held in Minamata and Kumamoto, Japan, from October 9 to 11, 2013.

Details of the convention are available in six languages. The 30 page Minamata Convention includes a ban on new mercury mines, the phase-out of existing mines, control measures for air emissions, and the international regulation of the informal sector for artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

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