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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 Stockholm Environment Institute critiques the EPA's cost-benefit analysis for cooling water intake regulations, arguing that monetized benefits are severely underestimated due to the exclusion of non-use values and errors in baseline mortality data. The authors suggest that when benefits are properly calculated and costs are reassessed, the regulations yield positive net benefits with minimal impact on electricity rates and a positive effect on employment and GDP. They strongly advise against site-specific calculations, recommending instead a national standard with a higher threshold for compliance.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) reviews various international decision-making models to assist negotiators establishing a regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) in the Western and Central Pacific. It analyzes a spectrum of mechanisms—from strict consensus to majority voting—evaluating how different models balance state sovereignty with the need for timely, science-based environmental action.