ecoficial

Signaling an about face in U.S. international environmental policy, the Obama administration has dramatically reversed the former U.S. position on controlling mercury pollution worldwide. To a surprised audience at the UN Environment Program Governing Council meeting in Nairobi today, the U.S. delegation strongly endorsed negotiations for a new global treaty to control mercury pollution, to begin this year. Environmental groups from the U.S. and around the world applauded the change.

“The Obama administration has clearly shown a new day has dawned for U.S. leadership and engagement with the rest of the world,” said Michael Bender, director of the U.S.-based Mercury Policy Project, and a coordinator of the international Zero Mercury Working Group. “And the momentum created by the U.S. appears to be galvanizing other governments around the world to step up to address the global mercury crisis.”

In stark contrast, the Bush administration position had steadfastly opposed legally binding measures to control mercury, despite broad support among a majority of countries in the Governing Council.

“Skeptics doubted that the U.S. position on mercury could change so quickly, but the Obama administration made it happen in record time,” said Susan Egan Keane of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “They’ve shown that Obama is serious about a new approach of cooperation and collaboration, rather than obstruction and unilateral action, on the international stage.”

Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that can make its way up the food chain into humans, and poses an increased exposure risk to developing fetuses and young children and to adults exposed to mercury.

Rico Euripidou of groundWork, Friends of the Earth, South Africa believes that “a comprehensive solution to address mercury will directly benefit Africa through the control of unregulated and uncontrolled flows of mercury onto the Continent.”

Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative, transboundary pollutant that contaminates our air, soil, water and fish.

“Because of this potential for global contamination, mercury pollution requires a coordinated international response, including a legally-binding treaty on mercury,” said Elena Lymberidi-Settimo, Project Coordinator of the ‘Zero Mercury Campaign’ at the European Environmental Bureau.

Other countries expressing support for developing a legally binding agreement on mercury include the 53 countries in African, Switzerland, Brazil, Norway, Canada, Australia, Mauritius, Russia, Korea, Uruguay and Japan. In total, over 120 countries have expressed support for developing a legally-binding treaty on mercury.