TERRA.WIRE

US blocks talks on mercury ban, boosting UN environment meet: diplomats

NAIROBI (AFP) Feb 25, 2005
The United States this week blocked attempts 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.
In addition, Washington cratered a French-German proposal that would
have turned the Nairobi-based 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 all realise that this is a problem and we really need to take
action as soon as possible," said Swedish Environment Minister Viveca
Bon.

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.

McMurray also 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.