The Incremental Approach to Governing Mercury

This policy brief examines the development and implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a legally binding global treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from mercury emissions and releases. It details the transition from regional marine protections to a comprehensive global framework, the specific challenges posed by artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and the reasons why mercury was addressed separately from other toxic heavy metals like lead and cadmium.

• The Minamata Convention on Mercury, which entered into force in 2017, regulates the entire life cycle of mercury from production to waste. It prohibits new mercury mines and limits existing mines to 15 years of operation after a country joins. As of 2021, the treaty bans the manufacture and trade of several mercury-containing products, including certain batteries, cosmetics like skin lightening creams, pesticides, thermometers, and compact fluorescent lamps under 30 watts.
• Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest source of mercury emissions, with an estimated 847,658 units of emissions. The sector is characterized by informality and poverty, with over 500,000 workers across seven countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, China, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Tanzania.
• To address ASGM, the Minamata Convention requires countries with "more than insignificant ASGM" to create national action plans. These plans must establish reduction targets, baseline mercury use estimates, strategies to formalize or regulate the sector, and public health strategies to protect miners and their communities.
• Mercury was singled out for a dedicated global treaty while other heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium, were not. This occurred because mercury's production and use are concentrated in a discrete list of sectors, whereas a broader heavy metals treaty would have been complicated by a wider range of sources, such as fertilizers and paint. Additionally, scientific evidence from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) highlighted mercury as a pressing global threat.
• The path to the Minamata Convention involved a shift from regional marine agreements in the 1970s (such as the London, Oslo, and Paris Conventions) and transboundary air pollution protocols (CLRTAP) to a global mandate. A critical turning point occurred in 2009 when the United States agreed to negotiate a legally binding instrument, which subsequently influenced the positions of Australia, Japan, China, and India.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) significantly influenced the treaty's health-focused approach. The WHO and World Dental Federation supported a phase-down of dental amalgam, making it the only product listed for restricted use. Furthermore, the WHO urged the exclusion of vaccines from the Convention's controls due to a lack of evidence regarding negative effects compared to the risks of limiting vaccine access.

APA

Allan,, J. (2021). The Incremental Approach to Governing Mercury. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/governing-mercury

Chicago

Allan,, Jennifer. The Incremental Approach to Governing Mercury. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/articles/governing-mercury.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Allan, |first1=Jennifer |title=The Incremental Approach to Governing Mercury |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=1 November 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/governing-mercury |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allan2021incremental, author = {Allan,, Jennifer}, title = {{The Incremental Approach to Governing Mercury}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/governing-mercury}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }