Hg is a well-known global pollutant. It is widely accepted that only expanded regional and international collaborative action can effectively reduce global Hg pollution. Many countries are participating the negotiation of a global legally binding instrument on Hg under the coordination of UNEP.
Prof. Zhang Xiaoshan's group at RCEES published a feature article in the latest issue of Environmental Science and Technology to discuss the importance of atmospheric Hg research in China (ES&T, 2012, 46 (11), 5636–5642. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es300137y). The paper points out the growth in demand for energy and raw materials, the coal-dominated energy structure and the massive production of Hg for industry and consumer goods for domestic and international markets make China a major producer and consumer of this metal. China is also a significant and growing man-made emitter of this toxin. The anthropogenic Hg emissions from developed countries are being reduced due to the effective regulation since the 1970s. In this context China will play an increasingly important role in the global Hg cycle in the foreseeable future and will face more pressure on global Hg negotiation. In addition, as the third largest country in size, the various surface ecosystems in China may have remarkable influence on the regional and global Hg cycle. However, due to the lack of technical, financial, and institutional resources, the research and science knowledge related to Hg in China is limited, and the available Hg information is fragmentary and inconclusive. In this paper, authors suggest that the coordination of inventory-modeling-observation comparisons will provide a unique opportunity to improve the understanding of Hg cycle in China and further promote the understanding of the fundamental of the global Hg cycle and push the abatement of this toxin on a global scale. As the largest emission source of Hg, regional cooperation related to atmospheric Hg monitoring in Asia and the active role of China in this cooperation are key to success.
This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
