Konwencja Minamata – nowa era regulacji i odpowiedzialności na rzecz globalnego ograniczenia emisji rtęci

Abstract

Minamata Convention on mercury is the answer to the threat of global emissions of mercury and its impact on human health and the environment. On 19th January 2013, at the fifth session of the International Negotiating Conference in Geneva (INC5), which comprised representatives of 140 governments belonging to the United Nations, the final version of the Convention aimed at reducing environmental pollution by mercury was determined. Formal acceptance of the Convention took place on October 10th 2013, during the Diplomatic Conference in Minamata, Japan. It was agreed, that mercury is a substance of worldwide interest due to its spread in the atmosphere over long distances, persistence in the environment after the result of human activity, the ability to bioaccumulation in ecosystems and significantly harmful effect on human health and the environment. This newly established, legally binding instrument provides comprehensive solutions to reduce emissions of mercury to the atmosphere, reduce the demand for mercury in products and industrial processes, reduce international trade of mercury, as well as the handling of wastes containing mercury, the use of methods of storage of mercury. It also regulates issues relating to the sites contaminated by this metal and the adoption of guidelines on the use of BAT /BEP in such cases. Existing measures limited to the geographical area of the European Union proved to be insufficient to solve the global mercury problem. The new rules, once implemented, will have a potential impact on the different industrial sectors, such as municipal waste with the largest sources of Hg (batteries) of hazardous dental waste (amalgams), industrial (pesticides, paints), non-ferrous metals. The aim of this article is to emphasize the importance and significance of the Convention which applies a coherent community strategy concerning mercury in the short and long term, which will also allow for further verification of the problem and the effectiveness of the policy.