16 September 2013
Climate policies would help cut mercury pollution
The study, published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, uses IIASA’s GAINS model to examine scenarios for future emissions under different policies for climate mitigation and air pollution. It shows that policies that address air pollution alone would not be sufficient to cut mercury pollution, but that addressing climate change and air pollution simultaneously would bring greater reductions than addressing either problem alone. Mercury is a long-lasting trans-boundary pollutant that moves from the atmosphere into water and food chains, damaging human health. The first global treaty on mercury is scheduled for adoption in October 2013.
Reference: Rafaj, P., I. Bertok, J. Cofala, and W. Schoepp.2013. Scenarios of global mercury emissions from anthropogenic sources. Atmospheric Environment Volume 79, November 2013, Pages 472–479