THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS: MINING, IN THIS...

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SPECIAL FOCUS: THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS: MINING, DUMPING AND CHEMICAL POLLUTION

Winter 2009 Vol. XXI No.4

IN THIS ISSUE:

Available in English, Ukrainian/Russian, Chinese and Spanish

SPECIAL FOCUS: The Carpathian Mountains: Mining, Dumping and Chemical Pollution

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT:Sustainable Development and the Global Financial Crisis: What Governments are Saying

DID YOU KNOW?

Nigerian Youth and Environmental Sustainability

GOOD NEWS

Las Gaviotas a Model for Modern Sustainable Development

CHORNOBYL UPDATE: The Chornobyl Sarcophagus and Climate Change: a Nuclear Solution

Chornobyl-blighted land to be used for biofuel crops

Nuclear Waste Defined

Voices

Point of View: Mercury

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SummaryMany of the major environmental challenges Carpathian countries face in the early

21st century are global or trans-boundary, including climate change, biodiversity loss, management of shared water resources, air pollution, and waste disposal. As a result, there is an increasing need for countries to work together in partnership to tackle these challenges.

Eastern European Carpathian countries inherited significant and severe environ-mental problems from more than 40 years of communist rule. Their economy com-pletely ignored the consequences of pollution as compared to the economies of West-ern Europe. As a result, many ‘hot spot’ areas exist from extreme pollution, together with environmental degradation in most areas.

Mining is a major economic activity in the Carpathians. Soils are the main receptor of mining contamination by the infiltration of residual and degraded industrial waters, as well as sedimentation of particles from the air. These deposits increase the soil’s con-tent of highly toxic chemicals, especially in the close vicinity of manufacturing sources.

Source: M

Source: WWF, 20 years of change in the Danube-Carpathian region.

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Their negative effects are propagated in the associated biotope, and sometimes even in the upper levels of un-derground waters. Among pollutants, residual water has proven to be the most polluting agent, with the greatest transport and contamination capacity through the ex-tended river network.

The amount of waste produced in the Carpathians is currently increasing, accentuating environmental dam-age such as water and soil pollution and the destruction of aesthetic and landscape values. The greatest waste problem appears to be municipal waste which has con-tinued to increase since the end of the communist re-gime. The import and mass utilization of non-recyclable materials have increased problems associated with waste management, especially at the local level, including a significant rise in the total amount of municipal waste. The existence of obsolete hazardous chemicals also re-mains a major issue. One emerging problem concerns new types of hazardous chemicals and the new unofficial ‘hazardous waste market’.

Mining LawThe Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals,

Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), which held its last meeting in Geneva from 26-29 October 2009, is the only global intergovernmental policy forum in the mining sector. The IGF helps countries harness min-eral wealth more effectively for sustainable growth, de-velopment, and poverty reduction. At the October 2009 meeting, the UNCTAD announced the introduction of a new initiative to be convened in February 2010 called the Global Commodities Forum (GCF), which will focus on extractive industries. The GCF will attempt to devel-op solutions to issues such as the instability of commod-ity markets and create policies to make the commodity sector a real engine of development.

After 2000, strong environmental protection meas-ures in line with European norms were put in place. The Mining Law of Ukraine, which came into force on November 11, 1999, defines the legal and organi-zational framework for carrying out mining works and outlines measures of ensuring protection against acci-dents for mining enterprises, institutions and organiza-tions. Chapters IV and VI of the Law deal most closely with waste management of mining materials and with measures to ensure ecological safety in mining works. Chapter IV presents the procedure for executing min-ing works, mining equipment and materials, applying explosive materials in mining works, expertise of draft decisions on anti-damage protection, safety of mining works, constructing and exploiting mining enterprises, using and tracking waste mining tunnels, and docu-ments providing the right to carry out mining works.

Chapter VI of the Law sets ecological requirements to mining works in an effort to prevent harmful impacts of mining works and to ensure ecological safety.

On 21 May 2009 the Parliament of Ukraine passed the law “On amending certain laws for incentivizing pro-duction and utilization of biological fuel”, also known as “Law 1.” Law 1 was signed by the President and came into force on 19 June 2009. On 19 June 2009 the Ukrain-ian Parliament passed an additional law “On Coal Gas (Methane)” also known as “Law 2.” “Law 2 establishes a general framework for the exploration and utilization of natural gas from coal deposits and coal mine waste sites in Ukraine and facilitates the development of related business activities.”

Physical changes (modifications of the land morphol-ogy and landscape) and chemical ones (soil, water and

Large ExcavationSource: Carpathian Gold Inc.

Climbing Large ExtensionSource: Carpathian Gold Inc.

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Winter 2009

air pollution and contamination by noxious elements) have led to degraded biological conditions, sometimes inducing labor-out migration, or even abandonment of settlements. Such cumulative negative effects engen-dered so-called “critical environments” – habitats al-ready modified beyond their rehabilitation capacity, or on their way to being gravely or irreversibly modified by human activity.

High pollution risk regions showing the greatest den-sity and diversity of active pollution sources, as well as latent pollution regions, are located in the central and northwestern part of the Eastern Carpathians, western and south-central part of the Apuseni Mountains, West-ern Carpathians and western and southwestern parts of the Southern Carpathians.

The soil constitutes the main receptor of mining contamination by the infiltration of mine waters and de-graded industrial wastewaters, as well as sedimentation of particles from the air, in the form of aeolian deposits on soil, water and vegetation. These deposits increase the soil’s content of highly toxic chemicals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, Hg, Cr, Cd, B), especially in close proximity to man-ufacturing sources.

Municipal Waste ManagementHazardous wastes and their management are a con-

sistent problem in a majority of the Carpathian coun-tries. Despite general improvements since 1989, most communities next to rivers lack proper garbage sites and refuse is dumped on river banks. Ground waters are degraded by organic substances and other pollut-ants spilled by the chemical industries of large urban ag-glomerations, and by other sources such as oil and salt water.

The existence of obsolete hazardous chemicals re-mains a major issue, and added to this are new types of hazardous chemicals. Both find their way into the ‘haz-ardous waste market’. A special category of problems is represented by brown fields and the numerous sites which have been ruined by a variety of waste related problems.

An important emerging problem is the illegal or “semi-illegal” import of hazardous waste and toxic chemicals from one Carpathian country to another. For example, from 2003 to 2006, different types of hazard-ous waste were illegally imported from Hungary into Ukraine’s Lviv region.

Foreign Waste Import to UkraineGerman journalist Ralf Arens published a story

about Bakta and how it represents Ukraine being used as a frequent destination for hazardous wastes. Bakta village, in Beregivschyna in the trans-Carpathians close

to the Hungarian border, is a typical example of the new toxic import business. Oksana Stankevytch, an en-vironmentalist from the local environmental NGO Eco-sphere, says: “there is a smell in the air, and the head-ache comes along in five minutes”. The bags labeled “Premix” were examined on the territory of Bakta and the results confirmed that Premix contained high levels of poisonous heavy metals such as lead, chrome, cop-per and nickel. Although Ukrainian law requires com-pounds such as Premix to undergo special treatment, nothing was done to address the problem. A Bureau of Environmental Investigation representative, Dmytro Skrylnikov, remarked that: “…Ukraine is becoming the polygon for European wastes of different types and haz-ard classes.”

EU Waste Framework Directive revised in June 2007 addressed in particular the challenge of establishing a system of efficient and environmentally friendly inciner-ation of waste. The Directive also introduces a five-step hierarchical “order of priority” for dealing with wastes as follows:

1. prevention of waste;2. re-use of products;3. recycling/composting;4. recovery of energy by incineration, and;5. landfill disposal. It is recommended that this hierarchy ought to be ap-

plied “flexibly” by member states, whose first priorities in the Carpathian region must still be considered as the need to reduce landfill disposals, and increase the recy-cled share of waste.

ConclusionIn order for Carpathian regional development to be-

come sustainable, more environmentally friendly prac-tices and technologies will need to be implemented, along with appropriate policies to support sectoral de-velopments such as renewable energy sources, sustain-able forest management, sustainable tourism, organic farming and improved public transport. The 18th ses-sion of the UN Commission on Sustainable Develop-ment (CSD 18) in May 2010, puts the international spot-light on mining and waste management.

Sources: Carpathians Environment Outlook 2007 (KEO);

Yaroslav the Wise Institute of Legal Information. 2002-2004.

http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/cgi-bin/laws/anot.cgi?nreg=1127-14;

IGF Press Communique. 29 October 2009; Belten Bur-

khardt. “Ukraine: Energy Update.” 11 August 2009.

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:fsBePo9MmQAJ:www.

mondaq.com/article.asp%3Farticleid%3D83342+mining+wast

e+laws,+ukraine&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari);

IGF Press Communique. 29 October 2009


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Introduction:The United Nations Conference on the World Finan-

cial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Develop-ment, held from 24 to 26 June 2009, brought together Labor Organizations, Finan-cial Institutes, leaders in the Private Sector, Academia, members of Civil Society, and representatives from over 170 Member States to assess and identify emergency and long term responses to the worst global economic downturn since the Great Depression. The conference was struc-tured to address five key ar-eas, including 1) The global economic crisis: its causes and multiple impacts; 2) The impact of the crisis on em-ployment, trade, investment and development, including progress on the Millennium Development Goals; 3) As-sessing existing responses to the crisis at international and national levels – limitations and best practices; 4) Reform on the Global Economic Governance sys-tem; and 5) United Nations response to the crisis. The Conference resulted in General Assembly Resolution, A/RES/63/303.

World Information Transfer prepared a Report for the UN Division on Sustainable Development to provide a re-gional analysis of the extent to which sustainable develop-ment was brought to attention by permanent representa-tives of United Nations member states in their speeches at the conference. The report focuses on the use of “sus-tainable development,” as a definite term, versus the use of the words “sustainable” and “development” separately, but in the same sentence. The use and understanding of the term “sustainable development” is vital to understand and achieve solutions to the financial crisis.

According to the Brundtland Commission, “sustain-able development” is “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of “needs”, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overrid-ing priority should be given; and the idea of limitations

imposed by the state of technology and social organiza-tion on the environment’s ability to meet present and the future needs. (Brundtland Commission, 1987).

When the term is split apart, but used in the same sentence, it conveys different meaning. In this form, sustain-able means “capable of being sustained; of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or per-manently damaged” (www.mer-riam-webster.com/dictionary/sustainable), while develop-ment means, “to make active or promote the growth of; to make available or usable” (www.mer-riam-webster.com/dictionary/development). The coherency of these two separate words carries a different weight from the term “sustainable develop-ment.”

Analysis of Speeches on the Inclusion of “Sustainable Development”

1. AfricaEight of the 24 African delegations present at the

conference brought attention to “sustainable develop-ment” or “sustainable” and “development” in the same sentence during their speeches on the World Financial Crisis and its Impact on Development. These included the delegations of Eritrea, Gambia, the Kingdom of Mo-rocco, Mali, Namibia, the Republic of Malawi, the Re-public of Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

The African Delegations who failed to mention “sustain-able development” or “sustainable” and “development” in the same sentence during their speeches on the World Financial Crisis and its Impact on Development included the Representatives to the United Nations of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Kingdom of Swaziland, Liby-an Arab Jamahiriya, Republic of Algeria, Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of the Congo, Republic of Madagascar, Senegal, Tunisia, and United Republic of Tanzania.

Health and Environment:SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE GLOBAL

FINANCIAL CRISIS: WHAT GOVERNMENTS ARE SAYING

Source: http://schrivers.blogspot.com

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TOWARD US


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Highlights: “According to the International Energy Agency, current global trends in energy supply and con-sumption are patently unsustainable – environmentally, economically and socially. ...This has given rise to the most significant challenge facing the international com-munity today - how to focus on propping up develop-ment and poverty-reduction efforts globally, especially in developing countries, and in setting in place the con-ditions that will avert future crises and facilitate a sus-tainable process of economic transformation for our countries.” H.E. Ambassador Araya Desta, Permanent Rep-resentative of Eritrea to the United Nations.

“Given its universal membership and legitimacy, the United Nations gives us a common forum to deliberate and find innovative solutions needed to not only address the effects of the current crisis but also equally important and related issues such as peace and security, disarmament, sustainable social, cultural and economic development, human rights and the rule of law, and the provision of hu-manitarian assistance in conflict situations and in times of natural disasters.” H.E. Ambassador Steve D. Matenje, Perma-nent Representative of Republic of Malawi.

2. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Three of the seven ASEAN members who were present and spoke at the conference made reference to “sustainable development” or “sustainable” and “devel-opment” in the same sentence including the Permanent Representatives to the United Nations of Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Republic of the Philippines, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

Four of the seven ASEAN members who were present and who spoke at the conference made no reference to “sustainable development” or “sustainable” and “develop-ment” in the same sentence. These countries included Malaysia, the Republic of Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Three ASEAN Member states did not participate at the conference, including Cambodia, Myanmar, and Brunei.

Highlights: “We must also ensure that our discussions here and the outcome document which we will adopt re-flect the critical need to dispassionately and objectively situate this crisis and our proposed solutions in the con-text of the equally important issues of climate change and sustainable development.” H.E. Hilario G. Davide, Jr., Permanent Representative of Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations.

3. East and Central AsiaThree of the nine East and Central Asian countries

represented and who spoke at the conference men-

tioned either “sustainable development” or “sustain-able” and “development,” including the delegations of Mongolia, Republic of Korea, and Russian Federation.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan failed to mention “sustain-able development” or “sustainable” and development.

Highlights: “Here, my delegation would also like to emphasize the importance of not loosing sight of the importance of laying the groundwork for sound resil-ience to future shocks and crisis through long-term sus-tainable development while grappling with immediate multiple impacts of the current crisis.” H.E. Ambassador Ochir Enkhtsetseg, Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the United Nations.

“I firmly believe that today’s conference has taken major steps toward enhancing global governance for in-clusive and sustainable development” H.E. Dr. Kak-soo Shin, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea.

4. European Union and Eastern EuropeThe Permanent Representatives to the United Na-

tions of the Czech Republic (on behalf of the European Union) and Ukraine both made references to either “sustainable development” or “sustainable” and “devel-opment” in the same sentence during their speeches at the conference.

Highlights: “To assure the U.N. will prove meaning-ful and sustainable development on the ground a more effective U.N. is necessary on all levels.” Ms. Helena Bam-basova, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Repub-lic.

5. Caribbean and South AmericaA total of 18 Latin American Delegations spoke of

“sustainable development” and/or “sustainable” and “development” in the same sentence at the conference. The delegations who mentioned “sustainable develop-ment” and/or “sustainable” and “development” in their speeches at the conference include Argentina, the Ba-hamas, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Re-public, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Ja-maica, Mexico (on behalf of the Rio Group), Nicaragua, Plurinational State of Bolivia, Peru, Republic of Chile, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Barbados, Belize, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Federal Republic of Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay made no mention of “sustainable develop-ment” or “sustainable” and “development” in their speeches at the conference.

Highlights: “Our duty goes in the short term, by the proposal and coordination of the emergency measures


Winter 20096

required to mitigate the impact of the crisis. In the me-dium term, by the definition of policies to prevent its recurrence and lead to sustainable development.” H.E. Ambassador Jorge Martín Arturo Argüello, Permanent Repre-sentative of Argentina to the United Nations.

“(We) must overcome crises so that “our countries can once again start to export and irreversibly place themselves on the path of sustainable human develop-ment, thereby recovering millions of lost jobs.” H.E. Mr. Carlos Morales Troncoso Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Do-minican Republic.

“We are concerned that solely emphasizing the finan-cial and economic aspects of the crisis isolates the pri-orities of urgent global attention. We must engage in a genuine partnership with nature…crisis gives us a crea-tive opportunity to redesign the international economy to one that brings… social development and environ-mental sustainability” H.E. Ambassador Jairo Hernández-Milián Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations, 26 June 2009, morning. [Note: Haiti is not included in this analysis]

6. Middle EastH.E. Ambassador Nawaf Salam, Permanent Repre-

sentative of Lebanon to the United Nations, was the only representative from a Middle Eastern member state to mention sustainable development or “sustainable” and/or “development” in his speech at the conference.

The Delegations of Jordan, Iran, Qatar, Syria, Ku-wait, and Saudi Arabia failed to mention Sustainable Development in their speeches.

According to H.E. Ambassador Nawaf Salam, “The mitigation of the multidimensional adverse impacts of the international financial and economic crisis requires the adoption of a global stimulus package in order to help developing countries achieve economic recovery, sustained economic growth and sustainable develop-ment.”

7. Western Europe (representatives who spoke independently from

the Czech Representative on behalf of the E.U.) North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Seven of eight countries in this category mentioned “sustainable development” and/or “sustainable” and “development in the same sentence during their speech-es at the conference including Australia, Canada, Ire-land, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, and the United States.

The United Kingdom made no mention of “sustain-able development” or “sustainable” and “development” in the same sentence during its speech at the conference.

Highlights: “Portugal remains committed also to de-veloping a competitive, knowledge-based, socially sus-tainable and inclusive, innovative and eco-efficient glo-bal economy.” H.E. Mr. João Gomes Cravinho, Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal.

“Of critical importance during this time of finan-cial and economic uncertainty, is a reaffirmation of our shared financing for development commitments, particularly with respect to mobilizing all available resources for development in order to achieve sus-tained economic growth, promote sustainable de-velopment, and eradicate poverty.” (Statement by U.N. Representative on behalf of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).

“The United States supports multilateral efforts to in-crease the coherence of economic, social, and sustaina-ble development policies across the globe…The United States stands ready to help lead global efforts to create new jobs and sustainable growth and development” Am-bassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Conclusion:World Information Transfer’s regional analysis of

nations’ attention to “sustainable development” or “sustainable” and “development” shows that the major-ity of highly developed Western and European nations as well as the majority of middle income Caribbean and Latin American nations acknowledge sustainable development not only as one of the solutions to the Global Financial Crisis but also as a path to future eco-nomic prosperity and sustainability. The lack of use of these terms among African nations (33.3%), East and Central Asian nations (33.3%) and the Middle East (14.3%), however, is unsettling. The resistance of na-tions to speak of sustainable development points to a number of potential underlying issues: the lack of con-sensus on vigorously addressing global climate change, the unwillingness of nations to take responsibility for their economic and developmental actions, the fear of negative changes in national economic growth, and the fear of possible changes in a nation’s power com-pared to other international actors. Achieving sustain-able development continues to require risks in replac-ing destructive but familiar practices with strategies relevant for current conditions.

“To say electricity is just another commodity is like saying oxygen is just another gas.”

Andrew Michrowski, Former President, Planetary Association for Clean Energy.


Winter 2009

River Deltas Worldwide Are Sinking

Pearl River Delta in China, photo by NASA’s space shuttle Endeavor, with the areas below sea level shown in purple. (Credit: Image courtesy NASA, CSDMS,

University of Colorado.)

A new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder indicates most of the world’s low-lying river deltas are sinking from human ac-tivity, making them increasingly vul-nerable to flooding from rivers and ocean storms and putting tens of millions of people at risk. While the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report concluded many river deltas are at risk from sea level rise, the new study indi-cates other human factors are caus-ing deltas to sink significantly. The researchers concluded the sinking of deltas from Asia and India to the Americas is exacerbated by (1) the

NIGERIAN YOUTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Globally, in the last ten years there has been a renewed commitment by na-tional governments to involve youth in sustainable development strategies. This was borne out of the need for a cross-sectoral and broad based participatory approach to achieving sustainable development. However, it may surprise most people that Nigeria, with a population 60 to 80 million youths, has not effectively involved its young population in its sustainable development strategies.

The socio-cultural norms as well as the economic and political situation in Nigeria have contributed to the exclusion of youth from sustainable development planning. Although a lot of governmental and non-governmental agencies have responded in various ways by addressing the determinants and consequences of environmental degradation in Nigeria, nevertheless a lot still needs to be done in order to engage young people. For instance, the Nigerian Conservation Education Strategy (NCES) was developed in 1992; however, nothing significant seems to be happening. Policies in Nigeria come and go vis-a-vis the govern-ment that enunciates such policies.

The cultural and social system in Nigeria, like most African countries, does not encourage the participation of youth in decision making and policy formula-tion. This exclusion is based on the norms and practices that promote a vertical relationship between the young and the elders. The perpetuation of the tradi-tional hierarchical structure has invariably led to exemption of youth from com-munity development projects and initiatives.

The youth in Nigeria are an important resource for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they are the leaders of tomorrow. Secondly, they have the great-est stake in long-term environmental stability. Lastly, they have the capacity to act as protagonist in achieving this goal. Investments made in young people will create and support the framework required for sustained action.

The Nigerian government can involve young people in sustainable develop-ment plans and initiatives by working with youth community based organizations and other civil society organizations. Community-school relations would have to be created, sustained and supported. Furthermore, a multi-sectoral governing body which would oversee and frequently assess the activities of such organi-zations should be developed both at the local, state and national level.

There would also be a need to develop avenues and fora where the voices of young people would be heard. According to Ogunyemi et al, collaborative knowledge building is the key to addressing environmental issues. The process to environmental sustainability should be viewed from the participatory perspec-tive. Experts in the field have argued that emphasizing options and critical think-ing for action are successful tools in promoting sustainable living.


Winter 20098

Secret to Slowing Global Warming May Lie Beneath the Waves

Life in the ocean has the poten-tial to help to prevent global warm-ing, according to a report Blue Carbon, a UN collaboration. Ma-rine plant life sucks 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmos-phere every year, but most of the plankton responsible never reaches the seabed to become a permanent carbon store. Mangrove forests, salt marshes and sea grass beds are a dif-ferent matter. Although together they cover less than 1 percent of the world’s seabed, they lock away well over half of all carbon to be buried in the ocean floor. They are esti-mated to store 1,650 million tons of carbon dioxide every year — nearly half of global transport emissions — making them one of the most in-tense carbon sinks on Earth. Their capacity to absorb the emissions is under threat, however: the habitats are being lost at a rate of up to 7 percent a year, up to 15 times fast-er than the tropical rainforests. A third have already been lost. Halt-ing their destruction could be one of the easiest ways of reducing fu-ture emissions, says report. With 50 percent of the world’s population living within 65 miles of the sea, hu-man pressures on near shore waters are powerful. Since the 1940s, parts of Asia have lost up to 90 percent of their mangrove forests, robbing both spawning fish and local people of sanctuary from storms. The salt marshes near estuaries and deltas have suffered a similar fate as they are drained to make room for devel-opment. Rich in animal life, they harbor a huge biomass of carbon-fixing vegetation. Seagrass beds of-ten raise the level of the seabed by up to three meters as they bury mats of dead grass but turbid water is threatening their access to sunlight.Source: http://www.enn.com/ecosys-tems/article/40584

upstream trapping of sediments by reservoirs and dams, (2) man-made channels and levees that move sedi-ment into the oceans beyond coastal floodplains, and (3) the acceler-ated compacting of floodplain sedi-ment caused by the extraction of groundwater and natural gas. The study concluded that 24 out of the world’s 33 major deltas are sinking and that 85 percent experienced se-vere flooding in recent years, result-ing in the temporary submergence of roughly 100,000 square miles of land. About 500 million people in the world live on river deltas.Source: Science Daily/ September 21, 2009, http://www.sciencedaily.com/re-leases/2009/09/090920204459.htm#

Lindane and Parkinson’s Disease

Gardeners and farmers who use pesticides as part of their job are up to three times more likely to devel-op Parkinson’s, according to a new study. The Director of Research at the Parkinson’s Disease Society (PDS) said that there was “growing evidence” of a link between pesti-cides and Parkinson’s. Earlier this year a study found that Parkinson’s sufferers tended to have higher lev-els of Lindane in their body than oth-ers. Lindane Researchers said that chemical could act as a “trigger” to people already prone to develop the disease. Parkinson’s occurs when nerve cells in the part of the brain that controls muscle movement be-come damaged or die. Lindane, a common ingredient in pesiticides, is on its way towards global elimina-tion. In 2009, governments around the world added this persistent pesti-cide to the list of chemicals targeted for global ban under the Stockholm Convention (POPs treaty). All ag-ricultural uses of lindane will be phased out under the treaty, and any production of the neurotoxic pesti-cide is banned. Pharmaceutical uses

for control of lice and scabies, using existing stocks, are scheduled for full phase out by 2014. Researchers also noted that while they did not look at pesticide exposures in hobby gardening or residential exposure, they noted that future investigation is warranted.Source: By Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent, 15 Sep 2009 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6189612/Using-pesticides-at-work-increases-risk-of-Parkinsons-three-fold.html

Global Warming Causes Cancer and Reproductive Health Problems

Emerging research indicates that hazardous chemicals, many of which had been banned by the Stockholm Convention, are show-ing up in high concentrations in the Swiss Alpine lake of Oberaar. The reason for the reappearance of these persistent organic pollutants is not renewed use, but rather glo-bal warming. According to Chris-tian Bogdal et al., “a relatively small amount of ice, formed in a period when environmental pollution was high, can represent an important reservoir of contaminants” which is released as the ice melts. With tem-peratures reaching record highs during the beginning of the twenty first century, glacier melt has rapidly accelerated. The result is that levels of PCB’s and DDT in Lake Oberaar are poised to exceed record highs. Contamination of the water supply with these two chemicals will ad-versely affect reproductive health, cause cancer, and a host of other health problems.Source: http://www.eht-forum.org/news.html?fileId=news091030090044&from=home&id=0. Melting Glaciers Free Up Pollutants: Toxic Chemicals Released Into Swiss Alpine Lake Cancel Out Gains From Reduced Emissions, Emerging Health Threats Forum.


Winter 2009

Comprehensive National Climate Policy: A Win – Win Solution

A recent study authored by David Roland-Holst et al. indicates that a comprehensive national climate policy “will create jobs, increase personal income, and boost all U.S. states’” GDP, all without increasing energy costs paid by consumers. Moreover, the effect of this policy would be to “reduce carbon emis-sions, improve energy efficiency and promote renewable energy alterna-tives.” In the process approximately 40,000 new jobs would be created by 2020 and individual income is ex-pected to rise between 600 and 1000 USD over the same period. The total dollar value of this policy is es-timated to exceed 100 billion USD, that amounts to 56 billion USD in energy savings, and an additional 45 billion USD in payroll increases. Source: Study: Climate change policy will create jobs, boost GDP, Biomass Magazine

Life After CarsIn a number of cities and towns

throughout Western Europe, resi-dents are giving up their cars. This phenomena is not just occurring in quaint little towns of a few hun-dred residents, but in places like Vauban, Germany (population of

LAS GAVIOTAS A MODEL FOR MODERN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The United Nations has named Las Gav-iotas “the model for sustainable develop-ment” and Gabriel García Márquez has referred to Las Gaviotas’s founder, Paolo Lugari, as the “inventor of the world.” So, why so much praise for a village of only 200 people, located in the barren eastern plains of Colombia? Simple, Las Gaviotas gener-ates all of its own energy from an array of renewable energy technologies, and has been doing so since the 1960’s.In a recent interview with New York Times columnist Si-mon Romero, Mr. Lugari indicated that the premise behind Las Gaviotas was to test the viability of a renewable energy, self-suffi-cient community in one of the most inhos-pitable places. If technologies proved viable in the eastern plains of Colombia – afflicted with poor soil conditions and ravaged by vio-lence –they ought to be easily transferable to other areas. And indeed, this concept has been extremely effective. Not only is Las Gaviotas flourishing but the harsh conditions have lead to the development of a number of novel technologies, as well as one of the most successful refor-estation initiatives in the world.

The remote village has been especially adept at employing solar and bio-fuel technologies. Three of the largest energy demands result from the need to provide potable water, energy for cooking and power for transportation and other machinery. In all three areas, renewables have met the village’s energy requirements. The community’s water supply is pumped from a well using mechanical energy created from a child’s seesaw and is then sterilized in a massive (passive) solar kettle. The community’s kitchen is run off electricity generated using photovoltaics, while, motorbikes and agricultural equipment are powered by biofuels derived from resin. The resin, in turn, is harvested from trees planted as part of the village’s immense reforestation project.

Nearly twenty years ago, a mycorrhiza fungus was introduced in order to break up the soil. Today, nearly 20,000 acres of what was considered ‘tropical desert’ have been reforested. Experts specifically selected indigenous species of trees that produce the necessary resin for biofuel production. As a result of the success of the reforestation effort, Las Gaviotas currently produces sub-stantially more resin than it requires for its own consumption. Consequently, it has become a major exporter of resin to other parts of Colombia. The degree of progress made in Las Gaviotas, a less than ideal location, provides a prom-ising endorsement for the future of sustainable development. This is especially true now that considerable attention and funding is being directed towards

modern sustainable development and renewable energy technology.

Sources: “Friends of Gaviotas.” Web. 22 Oct. 2009. www.friendsofgaviotas.org. Romero, Simon. “An Isolated Village Finds the Energy to Keep Going.

”New York Times 16 Oct. 2009, Print. Underwood, Kristin. “Las Gaviotas:

A Sustainable Community Cut Off From the World Almost 40 Years Ago.”

Tree Hugger. 16 Oct. 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2009. www.treehugger.com

Founder, Paolo Lugari demonstrates novel technique for pumping well water.


Winter 200910

over 5000) and in Groningen, the Netherlands (population of 16,500). In these ‘car-free’ neighborhoods, vehicles are prohibited (exceptions are made for emergence vehicles, certain deliveries, etc.) from enter-ing the area. Residents requiring the use of a car are allotted a park-ing space in a garage on the outside of town which can be used for transit beyond the car-free area. However, once residents give up their ability to use their vehicles in town, they soon realize that they simply do not need a car. As such, many of the parking spaces remain empty. Source: Car-free cities: an idea with legs, The Guardian

U.S. Department of Justice Cracking Down on PVC Chemical Manufacturer

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) prod-ucts are everywhere and are danger-ous to our health and environment from start to finish - in the factory, at home, and in the trash - releas-ing poisonous chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects. The U.S. Department of Justice has reached

a $13 million legal settlement with Formosa Plastics, one of the biggest manufacturers of PVC in the coun-try. The agreement came about af-ter the EPA discovered “extensive” chemical pollution violations at their PVC plants in Point Comfort, Texas, and Baton Rouge, LA during inspections. Community members have been battling Formosa Plastics for many years.Source: http://www.chej.org/BESAFE/pvc

Indian Government Opens Climate Debate to Youth

India’s government has set a new international standard for engag-ing youth on climate policy. Youth - defined as people under the age of 35 - are a significant political stake-holder in India, representing nearly 70 percent of the population. So far, India is one of the few nations to have taken steps toward this com-mitment. In December, 2008, two young people were invited to join the official Indian delegation to the United Nations climate discussions in Poznan, Poland. The latest invi-tation seems to mark an increasing

level of governmental engagement on climate issues following this spring’s national election. During the election, all three major parties mentioned the need for climate ac-tion in their campaign platforms. Despite representing 48 percent of the global population, youth have long been bystanders to the inter-national climate change debate, and today’s youth believe this must change.Source; http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6214

Childhood Vaccines at All Time High, but Access Not Yet Equitable

According to a new assessment re-leased by the World Health Organi-zation (WHO), UNICEF and the World Bank, immunization rates are now at their highest ever and vaccine development worldwide is booming. More infants are being immunized today than ever before - a record 106 million in 2008 - according to new data. The release of new evidence of success in the overall global im-munization effort takes place just as many nations are conducting pan-demic influenza A (H1N1) immuni-zation campaigns, underscoring the unparalleled role of vaccines in pre-venting communicable diseases and the challenges of reaching the most vulnerable communities. Leading officials from international agencies warn that life-saving vaccines, now common in wealthy countries, still do not reach an estimated 24 mil-lion children who are most at risk. At least an additional US$ 1 billion per year will be needed to ensure that new and existing vaccines will be delivered to all children in the 72 poorest countries.Source: http://www.who.int/mediacen-tre/news/releases/2009/state_immuniza-ton_20091021/en/index.html

Not anti-car, just pro-choice’ ... a cyclist in Vauban, Germany. Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Features


Winter 2009

Chornobyl Update: THE CHORNOBYL* SARCOPHAGUS AND CLIMATE

CHANGE: A NUCLEAR SOLUTIONThe Problem:

Chornobyl’s sarcophagus, also known as “the Shelter,” covering unit 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant poses an environmental threat which grows as the global climate warms. The remains of the power plant contin-ue to degrade from structural instability and the entry of water. The uncertain nature of the wreckage within the Shelter combined with high radiation fields immedi-ately surrounding it, make the remediation a very chal-lenging task. A decision-based approach known as the Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP) has been adopted as a way of resolving the many difficulties. Inside the Shel-ter, there remains about 96% of the irradiated nuclear fuel inventory of the reactor before the accident.

The radioactive releases to the environment were es-timated to amount to approximately 4%. Because of the radiation exposure, the spent fuel inside the Shelter and the radioactive soil and groundwater contamination at the site have an essential impact on all current human activities, e.g. in the framework of the SIP.

The spent nuclear fuel of the destroyed reactor of unit 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant exists now in four modifications: radioactive dust, fuel element fragments, molten fuel containing lava and Uranium and Pluto-nium solutes in water. Continued entry of rainwater and condensation have already washed radionuclides from the accumulations of dust and fuel containing material (FCM) into the basement rooms of the reactor. There are believed to be approximately 3000 cubic meters of this liquor, which is regarded as high-level radioactive waste, and the water level in the basement is rising.

There is a real danger that diffusion into the sur-rounding subsoil may transport radionuclides into the

water table of the Dnipro basin and endanger potable water supplies. Pumping out and treatment of these liq-uors is a high-priority task within the SIP. There is also a very small but finite risk that the water may act as a mod-erator to the FCM in the basement region and lead to a criticality excursion. This possibility has been well stud-ied and has been dismissed by experts. Nevertheless, a criticality excursion cannot be completely excluded since the quantity and disposition of fuel in the FCM are not precisely known. The neutron and gamma-ray burst from even a modest transient event could prove fatal to anyone in the vicinity.

Climate change is the overarching challenge of the 21st Century and asks us to reconsider nuclear energy as a viable alternative source of electricity. Chornobyl has become the nuclear family embarrassment. The nuclear industry does not want the world’s worst nuclear acci-dent to highlight the dangers of nuclear energy.

The Solution:The most effective way to remove Chornobyl from

the nuclear energy debate is to complete the rebuild-ing of the Shelter. To meet its energy needs, Ukraine should replace its old and hazardous reactors with the newest generation of nuclear power plants which ex-emplify safety and efficiency such as those built by the French and Canadians. Completing the sarcophagus would once again demonstrate cooperation among na-tions to rebuild after a disaster. Investing in Ukraine’s nuclear energy future would also fortify security within Europe. *Chornobyl is the Ukrainian spelling of the town more commonly spelled, Chernobyl, the Russian spelling.

CHORNOBYL-BLIGHTED LAND TO BE USED FOR BIOFUEL CROPSThe government of Belarus has teamed up with Irish specialists Greenfield to build one of Europe’s biggest

bioethanol plants. Vast tracts of land contaminated by the Chornobyl nuclear disaster could be used to grow crops for the production of biofuels. As well as providing feedstock for the bioethanol plant, growing crops on the land will also help with the clean-up as they absorb toxins from the soil. Greenfield chairwoman Ann McClain said the company also plans a program, connected to the cultivation of biomass crops to supply the ethanol plant, to remediate and decontaminate lands affected by radioactive particles from the Chornobyl nuclear explosion and return them to full use. This project will also take in the two other countries contaminated by the accident, Russia and Ukraine. Ms. McClain said the company planned to conduct field trials once the first ethanol plant is online to establish how the environmental benefits of its approach can be maximized, the benefits will be economic, and social. The company hopes to build on research, field trials, and the experience they accumulate to go on to a comprehensive program to use biological methods to clean up the areas affected by Chornobyl.Source: by David Gibbs http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?src=nl&id=16683


Winter 200912

Uranium fuel is typically used in a nuclear reactor over 3 or more cycles for up to 6 years of service, then is dis-charged from the reactor core, at which point is described as “spent” fuel. In the U.S., for example, uranium oxide fuel is typically irradiated for three cycles, each lasting be-tween 18 months and 2 years. The term “spent fuel” gener-ally refers to any reactor fuel that has been irradiated in the reactor and requires han-dling, active cooling, and shielding not needed for fresh uranium fuel. Today, only a few countries are us-ing reprocessed plutonium from spent fuel in reactor fuel known as mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. France utilizes MOX in over 20 of its reac-tors and maintains by far the majority of the world’s cur-rent capacity for recycling spent fuel for commercial energy production.

If fully utilized, each kilo-gram of uranium could po-tentially produce 3.5 million kWh of electricity. Even, if not reprocessed in the short-term, the resource remains viable over the long term. Dis-carding or managing it as ‘waste’ overlooks the fact that it is still a highly valuable resource. Whether it is recycled in the short or long term, it is valuable for its unused energy content. Spent fuel has an additional gross potential elec-trical value of approximately 2 million dollars per ton. An equivalent amount of coal yields about 120 dollars worth of electricity, heavy oil results in approximately 160 dollars in

Nuclear Waste Defined revenue and natural gas can bring in 240 dollars. In sum-mary the total value of ‘spent’ fuel resulting each year in the U.S. alone is several thousand times more valuable than

coal and has a future poten-tial gross electricity value of at least 260 billion dollars.

Approximate analysis of resources to produce elec-tricity:

Each year’s worth of U.S. nuclear ‘spent’ fuel (2,000 tons), still contains about the same energy potential value as we actually derive from all of our use of coal, oil, and natural gas com-bined. Note: it is treated as dangerous waste because a small part of it is highly radi-oactive for a relatively short time.

Depleted uranium (very low specific activity – i.e. not very radioactive) that we pro-duce and stockpile (about 20,000 tons each year, con-tains about one fifth of the energy contained in the en-tire Middle East oil reserves.

The total U.S. refined stockpile of over 600,000 tones sitting at the surface contains as much as five times the po-tential energy contained in the entire estimated Middle East oil resource.

The world combined spent fuel, sitting at the surface, is highly refined and contains enough potential energy to eclipse all known oil reserves (excluding tar sands and oil shale).

A breeder reactor cycle can become almost completely self-sustaining, but there will always be a need for “fertile” material, U-238 or Th-232. Because this abundant material is consumed in the breeding process, it can take a long time for a country to realize the energy goals from its nu-clear facility. The facilities required for reprocessing spent fuel are large, costly, complex capital projects better suited to governments than private industry.

The economics and feasibility of “advanced fuel cycles” are very sensitive to many key assumptions and param-eters such as the cost and availability of natural uranium resources, the cost of enrichment, the breeding ratio of fast breeder reactors, the availability of enough plutonium from spent fuel to keep a fleet of breeder reactors operat-ing. Although nuclear energy avoids greenhouse gas emis-sions, its place in our energy future remains to be seen, in part due to its high costs including those associated with reusing nuclear “waste.”. Source: Nuclear Waste Perspective by John K. Sutherland, Chief Scientist, Edutech EnterprisesSource: Chris Neil, Energy Economist.

Most of the basic data have been revised from original DOE dataSource: 2007 CyberTech, Inc.

SOURCES OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS

ESTIMATED WORLD INVENTORY AND VALUE (IF USED IN THE BREEDER CYCLE) OF STOCKPILED

DEPLETED URANIUM (2001)

Country or Enrichment Company

2001 lnventor (Tonnes)

Estimated Annual Increase (Tonnes)

US 590 000 (US $ 83El2)

20 000

France 207 000 12 000

URENCO (UK, Germany, Netherland)

53 000 4 000

UK (BNFL) 30 000 0

Russia 490 000 10 000

Japan 5600 300

South Africa 2200 0

China 26 000 1 000

Other < 1 000 ?

Total 1 404 800 47 500

U.S.$ persent energy value electicity (at $ 40/MWh)

US $ 200 trillion US $ 6.7 trillion


Winter 2009

Conference: GreenER WAMUNC (Washington Area Model United Nations Conference) XII

Dates: Thursday, March 25th through Sunday, March 28th 2010; Lo-cation: The George Washington Uni-versity, Washington, D.C.

The Washington Area Model Unit-ed Nations Conference or WAMUNC, is an annual conference organized for the purpose of educating high school students from around the world on the workings of the United Nations System and more generally, interna-tional diplomacy. In consideration of increased environmental focus – both within the UN System and among youth – the conference organizers have decided to strive to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of this year’s conference. While the organizers will undertake a number of initiatives aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of the confer-ence, it is evident that the most pro-found impact will result from engag-ing the nearly one thousand student delegates. As such, two initiatives have been planned. First, in the lead up to the conference, an ‘information campaign’ will be utilized to commu-nicate novel and innovative ideas as to how the delegates can minimize the environmental impact of their partici-pation. Second, during the confer-ence, an ‘educational campaign’ will

be employed to confer to the delegates useful approaches and the informa-tion required to aid the delegates in implementing sustainable practices in their own schools and communities. For more information please visit www.wamunc.com or email [email protected]

The World Library of Toxicology, Chemical Safety and Environmental Health www.wltox.org

This free resource for research on chemicals is produced by Toxipedia , in partnership with the USA National Li-brary of Medicine (NLM), the Interna-tional Union of Toxicology (IUTOX), and the Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders (INND). The World Library of Toxicology, Chemical Safety, and Environmental Health is briefly referred to as the World Library of Toxicology or WLT . This free global Web portal provides the scientific community and public with links to major government agen-cies, non-governmental organizations, universities, professional societies, and other groups addressing issues re-lated to toxicology, public health, and environmental health. The World Li-brary of Toxicology works directly with a network of country correspondents consisting of respected toxicologists and other scientists who maintain their own country-specific pages with accurate and up-to-date information. Over 45 countries from all 7 conti-nents are represented in the WLT, with the goal of ultimately including all in-terested nations.

Climate Change and Energy Insecurity

Stakeholder Forum and Earthscan publishers have partnered to bring out the new book: Climate Change and Energy Insecurity. Edited by An-drew Higham, Richard Sherman and Felix Dodds, and with the Foreword by UNEP Executive Director Achim

Steiner, the book contains chapters by Lord Stern, Linda Adams, Nnimmo Bassey, Ambassador Stuart, Beck, Craig Bennett, Barbara J. Bramble, Gidon, Bromberg, European Environ-ment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, Director General UN Foor and Agri-culture Organisation, Jacques Diouf, Executive Secretary of the Convention for Biological Diversity Ahmed Djogh-laf, Felix Dodds, Michael K. Dorsey, former Executive Director of UNEP Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Ladeene Frei-muth, former German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Winston Gereluk, Devyani Gupta, Andrew Higham, Steve Howard, Nader al Kha-teeb, Melinda Kimble, Johan Kuylen-stierna, Jürgen Maier, Munqeth Me-hyar, Michael Moore, Derek Osborn, Lucien Royer, South African Tourism Minister and former Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Ri-chard Sherman, Andrew Simms, Chris Spence, Nicholas Stern (Lord Stern of Brentford, Kt, FBA), Dave Trouba. Available through www.stakeholder-forum.org/ and in good book stores.

Save the Date: World Information Transfer’s

19th International Conference on Health and Environment: Global

Partners for Global Solutions, on the theme:

Chemicals and Children’s Health: Challenges for

a Changing Climate

Thursday May 6 & Friday May 7, 2010

UN Headquarters, New YorkCo-sponsored by the

Government of Ukraine Organized by World Information Transfer

Thursday May 6: 10 am –1 PM:

Chemicals and Children’s Health3 – 6 PM: Climate Change: Follow up to Copenhagen

Friday May 7:10 am – 1 PM: Chornobyl Update


Winter 200914

Point of View, continuing from page 16

methyl mercury, the toxic contaminant crosses the placen-tal barrier and exposes the fetus. Studies indicate that con-centrations of methyl mercury in the fetus are higher than those in the mother. Mercury is additionally present in hu-man breast milk which exposes the infant early in life. Chil-dren who eat mercury contaminated foods during their early years are also affected.

Methyl mercury adversely affects the baby’s growing brain and nervous system. This exposure can diminish the child’s cognitive and thinking abilities, memory, attention, language acquisition, fine motor skills and visual spatial skills. The hu-man populations most affected by exposed to mercury expo-sure are often the poor and the most vulnerable.

Mercury is released to the environment from mercury-containing products, industrial processes, mining activi-ties, combustion, wastes and other sources. Products that contain mercury are still widely produced and traded glo-bally, but substitutes and alternatives are available for most of them including thermometers, blood pressure measur-ing devices, barometers, batteries, electrical switches and many types of electronic equipment. Cost-effective sub-stitutes are not yet available for some other mercury-con-taining products such as fluorescent light bulbs, but there are opportunities to significantly reduce mercury releases by better controlling the amount of mercury used and re-leased during their production and by better managing product disposal at the end of their useful life.

Mercury is still used in very large quantities in many industrial proc-esses such as chlor-alkali plants and catalytic processes for which good alternatives exist. Large quantities of mercury are released to the environ-ment from coal-fired power plants, incinerators, cement kilns, cremato-ria and other combustion facilities and from waste dumps and contami-nated sites. Mercury is also used in gold mining, and is used extensively in small scale mines. Mercury is pro-duced as a byproduct in certain metal refining processes. And finally, in some cultures, mercury is used in tra-ditional medicines, religious ceremo-nies and/or works of art.

With the growth of medical and scientific knowledge about mercury and its significant harmful effects on human health and ecosystems, there is a

growing international consensus on the need to take action to minimize and eliminate mercury exposure from anthro-pogenic sources. However, because mercury travels long dis-tances in the environment, and is traded globally, no country or region acting alone can protect its people and its environ-ment from the harms caused by mercury contamination. Developing countries can be especially impacted because they often lack the capability to control mercury-containing products, mercury surpluses, and mercury wastes that may enter their countries through trade.

An international, legally-binding treaty is therefore needed to develop and implement a fair and equitable global plan of action that can effectively control and mini-mize mercury releases to the environment, prohibit uncon-trolled trade in surplus mercury, and minimize with the aim of eliminating production and trade of mercury-containing products.

The goal of the global mercury treaty should be to pro-tect human health and ecosystems by minimizing with the aim of eliminating anthropogenic sources of mercury and methylmercury. The treaty should minimize mercury re-leases by controlling industrial processes that use and/or release mercury; phasing-out mercury-containing products; properly managing mercury wastes; and curbing mercury supply and trade. It should aim to reduce the total quantity of mercury circulating in the global environment to pre-industrial levels. Further information on the IPEN is available at: www.ipen.org

Main sources of mercury (Hg) releases to the environment and main control optionsSource: United Nations Environment Programme, Chemicals, Toolkit for identification and quantification of mercury releases, November 2005


Winter 2009

World Information Transfer, Inc., (WIT) is a not-for-profit, non-govern-mental organization in General Consultative Status with the United Na-tions, promoting environmental health and literacy. In 1987, inspired by the Chornobyl nuclear tragedy, WIT was formed in recognition of the press-ing need to provide accurate actionable information about our deteriorat-ing global environment and its effect on human health. WIT exercises its mandate through:• World Ecology Report (WER). Published since 1989, the World Ecology

Report is a quarterly digest of critical issues in health and environment, produced in four languages and distributed to thousands of citizens throughout the developing and developed world.

• Health and Environment: Global Partners for Global Solutions Con-ference. Since l992, WIT has convened what we believe to be one of the world’s premier forums for the presentation of scientific papers by in-ternational experts on the growing clinical evidence supporting the link between degrading environments and diminished human health. The conference has been convened as a parallel event to the annual meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The scientific pa-pers presented at the conference are available on WIT’s web site.

• Health and Development CD ROM Library. This project consists of a library of CDs each of which focuses on a subject within the overall topic of Development and Health information. Our Human Information CD ROM Library offers one bridge across the “digital divide” for both devel-oped and developing countries. The project is continuous with future topics being developed.

• Health and Development CD ROM Library for Ukraine. In conjunc-tion with UNDP, WIT has developed a country specific library disc for distribution in schools and centers in Ukraine.

• Humanitarian Aid. In conjunction with the K.Kovshevych Foundation, WIT provides humanitarian aid to schools, hospitals and orphanages in areas devastated by environmental degradation. Shipments include com-puters, clothing, toys and medical equipment.

• Internship. World Information Transfer (WIT) offers internships in New York City, where our main office is located. Our goal is to encour-age future leaders in health and environment. Our interns spend the majority of their time at the United Nations.

• Scholarship Program. With the support of the K. Kovshevych Founda-tion, WIT offers scholarships to intellectually gifted university students in need of financial assistance to continue their studies in areas related to health and environment.

• www.worldinfo.org WIT provides through its web site up to date science based information on the relationship between human health and the natural environment, including the papers from the WIT’s annual con-ference, the archived World Ecology Reports, and our new Ecology En-quirer, an e-newsletter written by our Interns targeted to young people.

• Centers for Health & Environment. The aim of the Centers is to pro-mote research, education and solutions. The first center was opened in Ukraine in 1992, and the second center opened in Beirut, Lebanon in 1997 at Bir Hasan, United Nations Street, Al-Salaam Building.

World Information Transfer

World Ecology ReportWorld Information Transfer, Inc.(ISSN #1080-3092)475 Park Avenue South, 22nd FloorNew York, NY 10016TELEPHONE: (212) 686-1996FAX (212)686-2172E-MAIL: [email protected] EDITION AVAILABLE ON:http://www.worldinfo. orgFOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:Dr. Christine K. DurbakMANAGING EDITOR:Dr. Claudia StraussCONTRIBUTING EDITORS:Martha Duff, Barnett Koven, Adekugbe Olayinka, Dmytro Skrylnikov, Sarah Trepel CIRCULATION MANAGER:Carolyn ComittaLANGUAGE EDITORS:CHINESE - Au Yin Yu, Liao JinghuaRUSSIAN - Natalia Hatki SPANISH - Patricia Munoz Tavira

UKRAINIAN - Oleh Harasevych

REGIONAL DIRECTORSAFRICA:Dr. Mohamed El-Banna74 Sawra St. Heliopolis, 11341 Cairo, EgyptTel: (202) 368-2887; Fax: (202) 365-0492 E-mail: [email protected]

CANADA:Mykola Zilhalov2179 Stir CrescentMississauga L4Y 3V2 Ontario, Canadatel: (647)891-9418E-mail: [email protected]

CHINA:Au Yin Yu (Josephine)Liao Jinghua (Greta)3 Hop Yat Road 4th Floor,Kowloon, Hong Kong, ChinaE-mail: [email protected]

EASTERN EUROPE:Prof. Mykola Prytula K. Levychkoho11a, #15, Lviv, UkraineTel/Fax: (380) 322 76-40-39 & 76-68-18E-Mail: [email protected]

EUROPEAN UNION:Dr. Michel LootsOosterveldlaan 196B-2610 Antwerp, BelgiumTel: 32-3-448-05-54; Fax: 32-3-449-75-74E-Mail: [email protected]

LATIN AMERICA:Patricia Munoz TaviraSleutelstraat 38, 2000, Antwerp, BelgiumTel: 32 (0) 48 66 79006 E-mail: [email protected]

USA:Dmitry Beyder3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd.Portland, OR 97239Tel: 646-924-8464E-mail: [email protected]

World Information Transfer is a Non-Profit, Non-Governmental Organization in General Consultative Status with the United Nations, Promoting Health and Environmental Literacy.

Board of DirectorsDr. Christine K. Durbak, CHAIR & CEO

Roland DeSilvaEXECUTIVE VICE CHAIR

Dr. Claudia Strauss VICE CHAIR

Carolyn T. ComittaSECRETARY

Barnett KovenTREASURER

Dr. Ruth EtzelDr. Bernard D.GoldsteinAmb. Valeriy KuchinskyDr. Philip J. LandriganDr. Patricia MyscowskiDr. Maria PavlovaDr. Scott RatzanDr. William N. RomJay Walker


Winter 200916

Continuing on page 14

International discussions have begun on developing a treaty to control mercury production and use. To explain the damaging effects to human health and the environment, we reproduce the perspective on the need to regulate mercury developed by the International POPs Elimina-tion Network (IPEN). As a member of IPEN’s Steering Committee, WIT shares the view presented here.

IPEN Views on a Global Mercury Treaty - A Working Document

Mercury is a toxic sub-stance of global concern that causes significant harm to human health and ecosystems. When mercury is released to the environment, it trav-els with air currents and then falls back to earth, sometimes nearby the origi-nal source and sometimes very far away. Mercury can drain from soils to streams, rivers, lakes and oceans and it can also be transported by ocean currents and mi-gratory species.

When mercury enters the aquatic environment, it is transformed by micro-organisms into a more toxic form,

methylmercury. In this form, mercury enters the food chain and accumulates and bio-magnifies in aquatic organisms including fish and shellfish, and also in the birds, mammals and people who eat them. In some fish species, concentra-

tions of methylmercury can be up to a million times greater than what is present in the

water that the fish inhabit. While as much as one-third of

the mercury that enters the glo-bal environment comes from

natural sources such as vol-canoes, two-thirds comes

from human activities. Moreover, since the start of the industrial era, the total amount of mer-cury circulating in the world’s atmosphere, soils, lakes, streams and

oceans has increased by a factor of between two

and four. These unnatu-rally high levels of mercury

in the environment disrupt ecosystems and cause signifi-

cant injury to human health in all regions of the world.

Mercury, especially when it is in the form of methylmercury, is highly toxic to hu-

mans. Human embryos, fetuses, infants, and children are particularly vulnerable because mercury interferes with neurological development. When a pregnant woman or a woman of reproductive age eats food contaminated with

Point of View: MERCURY

Diagram: Mercury comes from both natural and atropogenic sources and has many pathways to ecosystems and humansSource: UNEP, Global atmospheric mercury assessment: sources, emissions and transport

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