Mercury Benefits of Climate Policy in China: Addressing the Paris Agreement and the Minamata Convention Simultaneously

Abstract

National commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change interact with other global environmental objectives, such as those of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. We assess how mercury emissions and deposition reductions from national climate policy in China under the Paris Agreement could contribute to the country's commitments under the Minamata Convention. We examine emissions under climate policy scenarios developed using a computable general equilibrium model of China's economy, end-of-pipe control scenarios that meet China's commitments under the Minamata Convention, and these policies in combination, and evaluate deposition using a global atmospheric transport model. We find climate policy in China can provide mercury benefits when implemented with Minamata policy, achieving in the year 2030 approximately 5% additional reduction in mercury emissions and deposition in China when climate policy achieves a 5% reduction per year in carbon intensity (CO 2 emissions 9.7 Gt in 2030). This corresponds to 63 Mg additional mercury emissions reductions in 2030 when implemented with Minamata Convention policy, compared to Minamata policy implemented alone. Climate policy provides emissions reductions in sectors not considered under the Minamata Convention, such as residential combustion. This changes the combination of sectors that contribute to emissions reductions.

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Mercury Isotope Baselines and Anthropogenic Influences in Lake Sediment Cores

“…The present‐day wet mercury deposition fluxes simulated by GEOS‐Chem and those reported by Mulvaney et al. (2020) also show much higher values (8.2–12 μg/m 2 /yr) and small watershed area to lake area ratios (2.1–2.2) in El Junco and Lost compared to other remote lakes (Table S6). All in all, our compilation study suggests that mercury isotope ratios in lake sediment cores can be used to evaluate the large‐scale influence of modern‐day anthropogenic mercury emission sources as well as the relative importance of mercury input pathways (atmospheric vs. watershed runoff) across remote regions.…”

“…reported higher wet mercury deposition fluxes (7.7-9.4 μg/m 2 /yr) coupled with small watershed area to lake area ratios (2.0-8.2) in Dunnigan, Locator, and Square compared to other remote lakes in North America (wet mercury deposition fluxes; 1.5-4.6 μg/m 2 / yr, watershed area to lake area ratios; 1.2 to 13). The present-day wet mercury deposition fluxes simulated by GEOS-Chem and those reported by Mulvaney et al (2020) also show much higher values (8.2-12 μg/m 2 / yr) and small watershed area to lake area ratios (2.1-2.2) in El Junco and Lost compared to other remote lakes (Table S6). All in all, our compilation study suggests that mercury isotope ratios in lake sediment cores can be used to evaluate the large-scale influence of modern-day anthropogenic mercury emission sources as well as the relative importance of mercury input pathways (atmospheric vs. watershed runoff) across remote regions.…”

“…The Δ 200 Hg has been used as a conservative tracer to evaluate the relative importance of precipitation derived mercury input to surface reservoirs and/or the extent of atmospheric mercury photo-oxidation (Blum & Johnson, 2017). Here, we compiled wet mercury deposition fluxes from , who reported measured fluxes to nine remote lakes in North America and those compiled here, and from Mulvaney et al (2020), who simulated a global atmospheric chemistry transport model for mercury (GEOS-Chem; Table S6). There was no significant difference in wet mercury deposition fluxes between the remote and unremote lakes (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05), indicating that the extent of precipitation derived mercury input is not responsible for the Δ 200 Hg difference between the remote and unremote sediments.…”

Removal and Recovery of Gaseous Elemental Mercury Using a Cl-Doped Protonated Polypyrrole@MWCNTs Composite Membrane

“…Mercury poses a serious threat to human health and the ecosystem . In 2015, over 100 countries had signed the “Minamata Convention on Mercury” to reduce mercury emission and forbid mercury-related production . There are three existing forms of mercury in flue gas, i.e., the oxidized mercury (Hg 2+ ), the particulate mercury (Hg p ), and the elemental mercury (Hg 0 ), among which Hg 0 is the most difficult species to be removed by current air pollution control devices due to its high volatility and insolubility. , Gaseous Hg 0 is mainly discharged from the waste incineration, metal smelting, and coal combustion.…”

The human–technical–environmental systems framework for sustainability analysis

“…examined the impacts of economic activities and trans-provincial trade in goods and services on the health impacts of related mercury emissions in China. Quantitative research has also explored linkages been mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants and climate change Mulvaney et al (2020). used a computable general equilibrium model of the Chinese economy to explore how implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change and the Minamata Convention affect mercury emission reductions and deposition.…”