Assessment of Existing and Planned Initiatives Addressing Mercury Sources in the Arctic States and Identification of Possible Measures for Follow-up

• Main Author: Danish Ministry of the Environment, Danish Environmental Protection Agency
• Language: English
• Published: Arctic Council Action Plan to Eliminate Pollution of the Arctic 2006
• Subjects: ACAP; Mercury; Arctic; Canada; Norway; AMAP; Arctic Council
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11374/15

In order to address the common concern of increasing mercury levels in the Arctic (AMAP reports), the Arctic Council launched the ACAP project "Reduction of Atmospheric Mercury Releases from Arctic States". With the objective to "identify important anthropogenic source categories for mercury emission within the Arctic region and to initiate cost effective reduction measures at one or a few specific sources or plants that could serve as pilot projects", the project task was to "use this information to identify and prioritise source categories for possible reduction measures, and promote development of action plan or strategies for mercury emission". The AMAP findings showed that efforts to reduce the mercury load in the Arctic should continue to be directed both inwards, among the Arctic States, and outwards, towards other states hemispherically or globally. The commitment to do so is reflected in the ministerial declarations. Scope During the work with the project on Reduction of Atmospheric Mercury Releases from Arctic States ("the ACAP Mercury Project"), it has been discussed by the countries and other stakeholders represented in the project steering group, whether there was a need for additional regional initiatives on mercury reduction under the auspices of the Arctic Council. Regarding the ACAP project Reduction of Atmospheric Mercury Releases from Arctic States, the ACAP Steering Committee agreed at their meeting in October 2004, on the following: "A second report, on “Arctic Mercury Releases Inventory” has been prepared and the inventory of source categories is ready for approval by the Project Steering Group. The ACAP Steering Committee agreed that the report should also contain the regional assessment of existing and planned initiatives addressing the source categories in the Arctic states and identify possible measures for follow-up. " The ACAP Mercury project was funded by Denmark, Canada, USA and Norway.