US opposes treaty to ban mercury
 

25 février 2005 17:07
US blocks plans on UN environment body and mercury ban talks
NAIROBI, Feb 25 (AFP)


The United States has blocked attempts to up the status of the UN's
environmental arm and to launch formal talks on an EU-backed treaty to
ban mercury, which is linked to serious ailments in pregnant women and
children, diplomats said Friday.

At a week-long forum in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Washington
cratered a French-German proposal that would have turned the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) into a full-fledged United Nations agency
with stronger powers and a bigger budget, they said.

US opposition to the proposed mercury pact sparked "heated debate" at
a meeting of UNEP's governing board, which ended up calling for
voluntary public-private partnerships to reduce mercury levels, the
diplomats said.

"The United States vigorously opposed a legally binding treaty and
managed to defer it to the next session of the UNEP governing
council," said one diplomat who closely followed the proceedings.

"The US does not like binding treaties," said another diplomat, who,
like the first, spoke on condition of anonymity. "It generally hates
bureaucracy (and) it fears that such a move would weaken its industries."

A 2003 UNEP study found that coal-fired power plants and artisanal
mining of silver and gold were a major source of mercury found in the
earth's air, soil and waterways and recommended action to reduce its
presence.

In response, several governments, including members of the European
Union, called for a legally binding pact to ban mercury, which can
cause brain damage in unborn children and infants and possibly impair
their nervous systems.

"We are disappointed that other countries did not allow the proposal
to move forward," said Elena Lymberidi of the EU's Environmental Bureau.

But the United States, which relies heavily on coal-generated
electricity, objected, arguing that more study was needed before
moving ahead with discussions on a treaty and proposing the partnerhip
schemes as an alternative.

"We came here with a position that we wanted to take immediate action
through these partnerships and that we wanted to defer a decision on a
legally binding instrument until we have results on this
partnerships," said Claudia McMurray, the senior diplomat who led the
US delegation to the UNEP meeting.

"The US came forward with this (partnership) idea and we are very
pleased that we were able convince other countries that this is the
credible way to move foward," she told AFP.

But environmental watchdogs were unconvinced and denounced the United
States for blocking consideration of the treaty, accusing it of
hijacking efforts to get negotiations started for its own purposes.

McMurray rejected charges that the United States was not doing enough
to stem the presence of mercury, noting that emissions had been
reduced by 45 percent since 1990 and that new rules requiring a
70-percent cut in emissions by coal-fired power plants would soon take
effect.

Instead of endorsing the opening of talks on a treaty, the conference
urged nations to launch partnerships with industry to develop ways to
reduce mercury, raise awareness of its risks to vulnerable groups and
called on UNEP to carry out a comprehensive study its presence around
the world.

The United States also blocked the French-German proposal to elevate
UNEP's status from programme to agency, would have notably meant its
budget would be drawn from obligatory UN member dues instead of
voluntary contributions.

"We have had our discussions with the French and the Germans and we
understand their point of view, unfortunately, at the moment, we do
not share that view," McMurray said.

"We think that UNEP is the appropriate forum and (it) does a very good
job of bringing together countries on environmental issues," she added.

© AFP Agence France-Presse





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