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Addressing Global Mercury Issues

Addressing Global Mercury Issues. Presentation to C-MERC Workshop, Portsmouth NH Gail Lacy EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards September 8, 2010. Chronology: UNEP Global Action Framework Leading up to 2009.

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Addressing Global Mercury Issues

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  1. Addressing Global Mercury Issues Presentation to C-MERC Workshop, Portsmouth NH Gail Lacy EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards September 8, 2010

  2. Chronology: UNEP Global Action Framework Leading up to 2009 • 2002. UNEP Global Mercury Assessment described state of science, global nature of problem, significant contributors, and reduction initiatives. • 2003. UNEP Governing Council (GC) initiated a Mercury Program focused on reducing emissions and uses. • 12/2003. Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) Convention Heavy Metals Protocol entered into force. (Northern Hemisphere) • 2005. UNEP GC called for voluntary partnerships as one approach. • 2008. UNEP Global Atmospheric Mercury Assessment: Emissions and Transport

  3. Global Anthropogenic Mercury Emissions Source: United Nations Environment Programme Global Atmospheric Mercury Assessment: Sources, Emissions and Transport, 2008, using 2005 data, as presented by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme Secretariat

  4. UNEP GC Decision February 2009 • Establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), leading to a global legally-binding mercury instrument by February 2013 • Five INC meetings planned. • INC-1 June 2010 • Continue and enhance on-going work • E.g., Partnership work, Capacity Building, Emission inventories • Study of mercury emission sources and control approaches - paragraph 29 • UNEP preparing for INC-2 January 2011 • Update 2008 Global atmospheric assessment: Feb 2013

  5. UNEP Global Mercury Partnership • Widely accepted as an important component of a global mercury control regime • Overarching framework, with goals, objectives, and business plans • Open to entities (including academic institutions) or individuals who support and agree to work towards the goals of the Partnership. • Partnership Sectors and leads: • Fate and Transport Research (Italy) • Coal Combustion – International Energy Agency Clean Coal Center • Products (U.S.) • Waste (Japan) • Chlor-alkali (U.S.) • Non-ferrous Metals • Artisanal Gold Mining (UNIDO and NRDC) • Vinyl Chloride Monomer • Supply and Storage

  6. UNEP GC Mandate to INC for Negotiations • To specify theobjectives of the instrument • To reduce the supply of mercury and enhance the capacity for its environmentally sound storage • To reduce the demand for mercury in products and processes • To reduce international trade in mercury • To reduce atmospheric emissions of mercury • To address mercury-containing waste and remediationof contaminated sites • To increase knowledge through awareness-raising and scientific information exchange • To specify arrangements for capacity-building and technical and financial assistance • To address compliance

  7. US Process in Multilateral Environmental Agreements • Led by Department of State • Supported by other federal agencies • A wide array is kept informed, with varying levels of participation: CEQ, OMB, EPA, FDA, NOAA, USGS, DOE, HHS, Defense, CPSC, NPS, USDA, USTR, ITA, USTDA, NSC • EPA has a major role in mercury, as it is largely responsible for implementing legislation • Consultation with stakeholders • Tribes and States • Non-governmental organizations (Industry, Environmental)

  8. Connection with Science • Scientific evidence spurred international action • identify mercury as a global pollutant of concern human health and the environment • to achieve all of our domestic goals, U.S. needs to engage internationally, in addition to our domestic program • As science advances our understanding of mercury sources, processes, effects and exposure, it can continue to inform the international process • Negotiations • Future assessments • Potentially in evaluating the effectiveness of the agreement, if the agreement includes provisions for evaluations • Technical assistance • Awareness raising and scientific information exchange

  9. Broad Science Questions • Estimated Impacts on U.S. • How would different global emission reduction scenarios affect U.S. methylmercury exposures and effects? • What are relative contributions of various types of global emissions sources, e.g., power plants, to US methylmercury exposures under different emissions reduction scenarios? • How would different global emission reduction scenarios affect the methylmercury exposures of various sub-populations, e.g., Native American fish eating populations? (Environmental Justice concerns) • Under global emissions reduction scenarios, how are various ecosystem exposures affected?

  10. Broad Science Questions - Continued • Estimated Impacts on other regions/countries • How would different global emission reduction scenarios affect methylmercury exposures as well as inhalation exposures of other regions • Under global emissions reduction scenarios, how are various ecosystem exposures affected? • What kinds of environmental monitoring data would be useful to potentially support future assessments? • Spatial considerations to address sensitive areas and areas that would most likely result in exposures due to global emissions. • Temporal considerations, including realistic expectations regarding time lag between emissions reductions and changes in monitored elements. • How might global climate change most influence mercury cycling and exposures?

  11. Key Messages • Science has played an important role in international actions to date. • Global Mercury Framework includes many elements which can be informed by science. • Improving our understanding and reducing the area of greatest uncertainty regarding the sources, transport and fate processes, effects, exposure - particularly related to the marine environment - continues to be important. • Synthesis of scientific findings and communication is useful.

  12. Thank you for your interest! EPA Contact information Gail Lacy, Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAR/OAQPS) lacy.gail@epa.gov Stan Durkee, Office of Research and Development (ORD) durkee.stan@epa.gov Marianne Bailey, Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA) bailey.marianne@epa.gov Information on UNEP’s Mercury Program http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Mercury/tabid/434/Default.aspx

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