“We hope that many of the provisions in this treaty can still be improved, but as it stands now the treaty offers only vague or no options for controlling emissions from the world’s worst sources of mercury pollution,” said Joe DiGangi, senior science advisor for the International Persistent Organic Pollutant Elimination Network (IPEN), a coalition of NGOs. “Countries that do not want to do this can escape quite easily.”
IPEN, along with some Japanese activists, takes issue with the treaty’s name, saying that its restrictions would not have prevented the health issues in Minamata.
“Water pollution resulting in contaminated sediment and fish caused the Minamata tragedy, but the treaty contains no obligations to reduce mercury releases to water and no obligations to clean up contaminated sites,” said Japanese activist Takeshi Yasuma in an interview with the CBC.
Supporters of the treaty have called it a first step, and hope that it will become stronger over time.
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