Deep inside the layers of ice sitting atop the Andes Mountains in Peru is evidence of the earliest human-caused air pollution. Within the core of the 1,200-year-old Quelccaya Ice Cap, scientists have found traces of lead and mercury, the chemicals used after the Spanish occupation, in the silver mines of Potosi, Bolivia.

OAKLAND, CA—April 17, 2019—The consumer protection group As You Sow filed a lawsuit today against Amazon.com (Amazon) under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, commonly referred to as Proposition 65. The lawsuit alleges that Amazon has knowingly exposed consumers to mercury by allowing mercury-laden, skin-lightening creams to be sold through its website without ensuring consumers receive the legally required warnings.  

Stephanie Yeboah started using bleaching creams when she was 14. As part of a new series, Shades of black, she writes about believing her worth was linked to her skin tone and what happened when side-effects kicked in. Read the full post

The artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector accounts for 20 per cent of the world's annual gold production The ASGM sector is the single largest source of man-made mercury emissions, responsible for the relea

Second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP2) is taking place from 19 to 23 November 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland Rising mercury emissions place pressure on international community to scale up action to tackle mercury, according to upcoming report 15 million miners exposed to mercury through its use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining in over 70 countries Geneva, 22 November 2018 – Almost 150 countries, 94 of them Parties to

One year ago, on 16 August 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury – a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds – came into force.

We tend to associate polar regions with vast stretches of white ice. Yet we rarely think of the permafrost - a layer of soil or bedrock that has been continuously frozen for years. By thawing permafrost in the Arctic, climate change is not only freeing vast amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere. It could also stand to release another harmful substance into our air and waters.

According to the latest data from Global Witness, at least 4 environmental defenders are killed every week

“Over 100 countries around the world have so far guaranteed their citizens the right to a healthy and clean environment; however, the enforcement part of such initiatives has been a challenge,” – Arnold Kreilhuber, Deputy Director of the Law Division, UN Environment.

Charito Elcano turned 60 this year, a milestone in a life fraught with ups and downs, challenges and opportunities and – in her case – tragedy. A tragedy that took the life of her brother and son and made her a fierce advocate for non-mercury small-scale gold mining.

Of the more than 100 videos we produced in 2017, here are seven that bring out some of the highlights of the year.  1. World Pangolin Day On 18 February, we marked World Pangolin Day, which celebrates one of the planet's most bizarre - and endangered - species.    2. Launch of the Clean Seas campaign

Geneva, 02 October 2017 – In a landmark display of international cooperation, more than 160 countries committed to tackling one of the world's greatest chemical health threats at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The world's first environmental and health treaty in a decade saw many countries pledge political and financial support to help reduce and eliminate mercury, a heavy metal affecting the health of millions of people worldwide from Guyana and Kiribati, to Uganda and Japan.

As the mercury falls in Geneva with the advent of autumnal chills, the world is for the first time gathering to deal with the rising health impacts of the toxic chemical.