UNEP releases draft mercury treaty for third round of mercury negotiations
July 22, 2011This week, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a new draft treaty text designed to protect human health and the environment from mercury pollution. During the second round of negotiations (INC-2) in January of 2011, countries negotiating requested that UNEP prepare a new draft of the treaty to reflect the full range of views expressed during the meeting and in subsequent written submissions. This new draft text marks another important milestone on the road toward a legally-binding treaty to control mercury pollution worldwide. The next round of international negotiations is scheduled for October 31 to November 4, 2011 at the third meeting, INC-3, in Nairobi, Kenya.
CIEL Senior Consulting Attorney Glenn Wiser, who co-wrote the INC-2 and INC-3 treaty texts for the UNEP mercury secretariat, explains the crucial need to control mercury on a global level: “Once we take it from the earth’s crust where it naturally occurs and introduce it into our human environment, that’s where it stays. Forever.” Mercury pollution can affect the neurological development of unborn fetuses and children, causing life-long impairment of cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, and fine motor and visual spatial skills.
The draft treaty text addresses important global challenges including:
- supply of, and international trade in, mercury;
- products and processes that use mercury, including artisanal and small-scale gold mining;
- emissions and releases of mercury into the atmosphere, water, and land; and
- mercury storage, wastes and contaminated sites.
For an advance copy of the draft treaty text, click here.
To read more about the positions of countries during international negotiations for a mercury treaty, click here. For more information about the UNEP Mercury Programme, click here.
11 comments:
Most of us who did some research before investig already knew that Mercury was not an item that benefits us. But my question is how exactly does this document help "drive" countries and private organizations to the green technology of Haber? Are there stipulations stating that they have a certain amount of time to switch to green technology? Is Haber the only company that is on the brink of being able to implant it's new technology? Now on to my next inquiry. When are the statistics from the most recent mining expedition going to be released? How many private companies showed up for the showing in the capital city?
I was also wondering about the last two Questions.
I did not read the UNEP document but it is the United Nations. It might be years before a final document is ratified. ???
There are ways to extract gold without mercury and get high %s of gold out. It cost IAM $500 to $800 and ounce in Suriname and they don't use mercury. I do not know how they do it. Every small miner in Suriname uses mercury and they only get 30to 40% out but with a very low cost.
I believe Haber has a unique process. I can't find any competition. Al has done a great job at keeping the secret, secret. Thanks to Dan Dajie it is a more impressive secret because it can do more ore types now.
Part 1
I posted the article as a general news item of interest to our cause.
This is just another document that shows focus is building on eliminating mercury from artisanal mining because the degradation of eco systems and mercury related diseases is forcing governments to try and find alternatives to it's use.
It might seem logical to ask, so what's the problem?, ban it".
Well, there has always been Political agenda, chemical lobbies, special interests, people selling the mercury etc. to deal with but the problem is so widespread now and affecting so many people other than the miners themselves, that a perfect storm is brewing that the green community can gain power from and finally influence those in decision making positions.
Another facet of this that is little understood is the fact that millions of artisanal miners around the world depend on illegal mining with mercury as their sole source of income. Their governments understand this and they cannot outright ban mercury use without having a revolt on their hands. Alternatives must be slowly introduced so it's effects can be seen by all and the infrastructure needed can be built up. If financing can be had by either a government or through private means, this process will be speeded up accordingly. Regional plants would need to be in place before banning mercury in the area being serviced.
There are other processing techniques that do not require mercury(retorts, gravitation separation, etc.) but none of them come near to the efficiency of HGP because even if they concentrate more gold with gravitational means the micro fine gold, complex gold and gold coated with certain minerals is not absorbed by the mercury. HGP extracts all of the gold present in the concentrate.
As far as the Guyana trip, we had very positive feedback and samples were sent to us that did not have enough gold in them to warrant us treating them as a good example of what we are able to do. We want to demonstrate that we recovery gold as well as extract it and that requires some concentrates that are in the 2 oz/ton or more in order to see the gold drop out. Small scale miners need to see the actual gold produced to believe it works not just see an efficiency report.
part 2
The protocol process works this way;
Ore is received from artisanal miners who are asked to participate in the test. Unfortunately, they are reluctant to give a sample of their high value concentrates because that gold is worth too much to them.
We have now requested the samples sent to us be pre assayed by the government to assure some good gold content. We are waiting for those samples now.
The protocol that was agreed to by all stakeholders and which will be followed on the ores to be tested in Georgetown and the interior is as follows:.
1. Approx. 5 kilos of ore samples obtained from each stakeholder is sent to Government lab (GL) in Georgetown to establish chain of custody.
2. GL splits the sample and retains one half the balance is sent to Haber in the US to establish the proper formulation for that ore type.
3. Each sample being held by the government will be given to Haber at the time for testing in full view of the audience and the following test
procedure will be followed:
a. The Haber agitator will be shown to be empty
b. The entire ore sample provided will be poured into the agitator.
c. The chemical formulation for that ore type will be added by Haber into the agitator.
d. At the appropriate time the pregnant solution will be removed and centrifuged.
e. The resultant clear pregnant gold solution will be poured into a container and the
recovery formulation added.
f. The fine black gold produced will be centrifuged and given to GL for their testing of the gold’s purity.
g. The tailings derived from step (d) above will be rinsed in clear water to remove any
residual gold that remains in solution in the tailing.
h. The rinsed tailing will be given to GL.
i. GL will assay the tailing and derive the efficiency of the process by taking the difference between the gold assay of the ore
sample before testing (ABT) and the gold assay of the tailing (AOT) and dividing that difference by the ABT assay value.
j. GL will publish test results.
Hope this helps
Bob
Bob:
1. Is the ore only coming from Guyana or have other companies/countries started sending in ore as a result of our two formal demonstrations in Suriname and Guyana over the past year?
2. Are we still working with the Government of Suriname?
3. Now that a protocal has been established with the GL in
Guyana detailing the transportation of the ore, assuming the HGP process is once again successful, is there a deal/contract waiting on the other side or is that issue simply on hold until the GL publishes the results?
This is turning into a "most excellent" web site. The information you are putting out is getting me very excited about Haber again.
I am still looking for the "new posts" in the upper right. other than that, I like the b;og.
rollor2
Did you hit the link on the "invite"
email I sent you? I'll send you another invite. Once you hit the acceptance link and refresh the blog, you will get a "new post" clickable in upper right of blog
Correct me if I'm wrong but if Haber has reached an agreement with the SEC, why aren't bid/ask and other stats published on Yahoo or Google finance or Scottrade. Scottrade has my shares worth $0.00
Being new at this I wonder why this is happening. Is the company still exist?
imbusil
1.We are, and have been, testing ores from many other countries, with both governments and private entities.
2. We have a fluctuating political sensibility in Suriname that requires us to use an intermediary and talks are ongoing. We also have private interests we are talking to.
3. We have to wait for the ore samples but the interest is very strong there and the government is in many ways more politically stable and organized than Suriname.
why me
Please refer to the lengthy explanation in the July 22 release found on the Haber website.
Basically we have decided the path to regaining the ability to trade our stock is to initially apply to the pink sheets with unaudited financials and have our symbol reinstated. It is the most cost effective and expedient
method. If a better option becomes available it will be posted on the web site or on this blog.
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