IPEN

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We, peasants, family farmers, indigenous peoples and traditional communities, scholars and professionals from various fields of knowledge, together with social movements and organizations, trade unions and urban collectives from Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico, Paraguay, Colombia, Bolivia and Switzerland, gathering at the 1st International Seminar and 3rd National Seminar on Pesticides, Socio-Environmental Impacts and Human Rights, held from 10 to 13 December in the city of Goiás, Brazil, express the following considerations about the current dominant agro-food system in Latin America and the world:

The impacts of the agro-industial model and the socio-environmental realities of our countries show common threats that require urgent response. Therefore, we consider it necessary to create and strengthen ties of resistance and solidarity for articulated action.

The solution? Shutting down coal-fired energy and banning the mercury trade.

(Geneva, Switzerland) As delegates to the second Conference of the Parties (COP2) of the Minamata Convention on Mercury negotiated for a week over wording for a range of non-binding guidance, the shocking news that global toxic mercury emissions had surged 20% in 5 years was announced by UNEP.

Dr. Tadesse Amera, Co-Chair for IPEN, said, “IPEN has long warned that we are in the midst of a global mercury crisis and has campaigned for a rapid international response. Now that the Convention is finally law, we are on the brink of a catastrophe. If mercury emissions continue to rise at this rate, we are facing massive intensification of ocean pollution and rapid contamination of global fish stocks. Many big fish species are already too toxic to safely eat, and more species will follow. Women in many small island states rely on fish for dietary protein, and our data shows that, for most of them, their mercury levels are above unsafe exposure levels. If we want to protect these island populations, we must take more action immediately. There is only one sure way to stop this runaway mercury pollution and that is to ban the global mercury trade that feeds small scale gold mining and shut down coal power plants polluting the atmosphere.”