Mercury In The Atmosphere
The Salt Lake Tribune ran an article on 1st May 2005 reporting on the mercury pollution from smokestacks in Elko Nevada. Author Patty Henetz outlined the situation in which mercury is dispersed into the atmosphere from the smokestacks of a cluster of gold mines near Elko Nevada. It has been estimated that between 70 and 200 tons of mercury have been released into the atmosphere from 18 Nevada gold mines between 1985 and 1998.
Mercury is a heavy metal that has been linked to neurological and kidney disease, loss of motor control and death. These mines are said to account for approximately 11 percent of the total mercury emissions in the US. It has been estimated that more than 300,000 newborns in the US each year may have an increase of mercury-related conditions because of mercury in fish and shellfish. Add the effects of atmospheric mercury and newborns are at substantial risk.
Salt Lake City environmental activist Ivan Weber, said that because mercury is drifting around the globe, including huge amounts from China’s coal-fired plants, it would be difficult to determine exactly where the mercury in any one place came from.
Meeting to Discuss Alternative Fuels
March 2005.
Environment and energy ministers from 20 countries including China, India and Brazil met in the UK to discuss climate change and how to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Although the meeting discussed solutions to the current dependence, no binding commitments were involved. The aim of the meeting was for information exchange and an opportunity for ministers to learn from others.
THE Kyoto treaty, which came into effect in February, aims to cut the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from industrialised nations to 5 percent below those of 1990, by the year 2012.
James Connaughton, White House Council on Environment Quality is quoted as saying “The target that was given to the United States was so unreasonable in our ability to meet it that the only way we could have met it was to shift energy intensive manufacturing to other countries.”
The meeting discussed the challenge of developing green technology.