Esta sección contiene una pequeña recopilación de las noticias producidas en nuestro país que han sido consideradas de interés en el ámbito de la química. De 2013 hemos destacado la firma de la Convención de Minamata sobre el mercurio, el premio ANR a la profesora de Química de la PUCP Nadia Gamboa, el nuevo decreto de la SUNAT para el control de insumos químicos y el estado de la producción de la industria química, entre otros. / This section contains a small compilation of news and events that took place in Peru and that are interesting from a chemistry perspective. Of 2013 we have highlighted the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the ANR prize to Nadia Gamboa, Chemistry lecturer at PUCP, the SUNAT’s new decree to control chemical supplies and the production status of the Chemical Industry, among others.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [307]-334).

Actividad formativa equivalente a tesis para optar al grado de magíster en derecho ambiental / Dada la reciente ratificación del Convenio de Minamata por nuestro país, resulta importante conocer primeramente su estructura y contenido general. Luego, analizaremos el tratamiento del mercurio en los distintos convenios internacionales que Chile ha suscrito y que se encuentran plenamente vigentes para nuestro país, los cuales apoyan una gestión sustentable del mercurio, como lo son los Convenios de Basilea, Rotterdam y Estocolmo. Así también, revisaremos cuáles son los marcos normativos, ambientales e institucionales existentes en nuestro país para la gestión del mercurio, identificando las posibles brechas existentes en nuestro país, para la implementación y cumplimiento de las obligaciones establecidas en el Convenio de Minamata. Por último, estudiaremos la experiencia de otros países que ya han ratificado el Convenio de Minamata, como lo son Uruguay y Canadá, país este último con quien Chile tiene un acuerdo de cooperación ambiental vigente. En ambos países revisaremos cuál es la institucionalidad existente y el marco regulatorio para la gestión de todo el ciclo de vida del mercurio.

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Centro de Estudos Avançados Multidisciplinares, Pós-graduação em Desenvolvimento, Sociedade e Cooperação Internacional, 2015. / Submitted by Albânia Cézar de Melo (albania@bce.unb.br) on 2016-03-29T16:15:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_AndreLuizDutraFenner.pdf: 6464996 bytes, checksum: c2586c706391a22c20f9a1aec065c2bc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Raquel Viana(raquelviana@bce.unb.br) on 2016-03-30T12:08:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_AndreLuizDutraFenner.pdf: 6464996 bytes, checksum: c2586c706391a22c20f9a1aec065c2bc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-30T12:08:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_AndreLuizDutraFenner.pdf: 6464996 bytes, checksum: c2586c706391a22c20f9a1aec065c2bc (MD5) / A contaminação por mercúrio, com efeitos e preocupações em escala global, acarretou a demanda por um instrumento legalmente vinculante para abranger a problemática em âmbito internacional, num momento de crise econômica generalizada. O mais novo acordo multilateral ambiental a respeito é a Convenção de Minamata sobre o Mercúrio, que visa proteger a saúde humana e o meio ambiente das emissões e liberações antropogênicas de mercúrio e seus compostos. Com o objetivo de analisar como ocorreu a distribuição de recursos para o cumprimento do tratado, o foco deste estudo recai prioritariamente sobre a posição dos países doadores. Nesse sentido, a discussão girou em torno, principalmente, da instituição do mecanismo financeiro no âmbito da Convenção de Minamata. O fundamento metodológico da pesquisa consistiu no levantamento bibliográfico das teorias de Ciência Política sobre regimes internacionais, negociações multilaterais e comunidade epistêmica no contexto do hard/soft power, e também nos documentos oficiais das Nações Unidas e no Boletim de Negociações Ambientais relativos ao processo negociador da Convenção. Juntamente com a reflexão teórica, houve a observação participante dos fatos ocorridos durante as negociações do acordo, inicialmente na condição de delegado brasileiro do Ministério da Saúde e, posteriormente, como representante dos movimentos sociais do Grupo de Trabalho Mercúrio Zero. A partir dos métodos aplicados, constatou-se que as negociações multilaterais do mercúrio resultaram em um tratado internacional que abrange todo o ciclo de vida do produto. Trata-se de um exemplo de sucesso do multilateralismo, na direção do aperfeiçoamento da regulamentação do Regime Internacional de Substâncias e Resíduos Químicos. O período coberto por esta pesquisa mostra que houve avanços importantes com relação à consecução dos objetivos da Convenção, tais como: a acomodação da posição hegemônica quanto às fontes de oferta, comércio, importação e exportação de mercúrio; o tratamento dos aspetos referentes à saúde de forma integrada e com obrigações claras para os setores responsáveis nos países participantes; a inclusão da mineração de ouro artesanal e em pequena escala na tratativa, favorecendo a formalização da atividade, e a abordagem minuciosa a respeito das liberações de mercúrio no solo e águas. Concluiu-se que a estrutura negocial do instrumento foi significativamente determinada pela polarização entre países doadores e receptores sobre o estabelecimento do mecanismo financeiro da Convenção; essa marcada oposição paralisou, em diversos momentos, as decisões quanto aos elementos técnico-científicos do acordo. Ao final, as negociações resultaram em um mecanismo financeiro híbrido, decorrente do comprometimento entre os países doadores e receptores. Este mecanismo é composto predominantemente pelo Fundo Fiduciário do Fundo Global para o Meio Ambiente (GEF), e por um do Programa Internacional Específico para Apoio e Assistência Técnica, com escopo ainda a ser definido. Assim sendo, é possível afirmar que as negociações do mecanismo financeiro evidenciaram a ruptura existente entre países desenvolvidos e em desenvolvimento na estrutura de governança ambiental. / With alarming effects and concerns on a global scale, the human contamination caused by mercury originated a demand for the creation of a legally binding instrument which would deal with the aggravating issue internationally, at a time of widespread economic crisis. The newest multilateral environmental agreement, which aims to protect the human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and its compounds, is the Minamata Convention on Mercury. In order to analyze financial resources distribution, essential for agreement compliance, the focus of this study lies primarily on the positions of donor countries. Accordingly, the discussion revolved around, mainly, the institution of the financial mechanism, under the Minamata Convention. The methodological research grounds is based on theories of Political Science literature review on international regimes, multilateral negotiations and epistemic community in the context of hard/soft power, and also on United Nations official documents and on Environmental Negotiations Bulletin articles, related to the Convention negotiating process. In addition to this theoretical reflection, there was the participatory observation of the events culminating in agreement negotiations, initially as a Brazilian Ministry of Health delegate and, later, as a representative of the social movement, Zero Mercury Working Group. From the utilized methods, it was possible to find out that multilateral mercury negotiations resulted in an international treaty that covers the entire product life cycle. It is a successful example of multilateralism, which serves to improve the regulation of the International Regime on Chemical Substances and Waste. The period covered by this research shows that there has been important developments regarding the achievement of the Convention objectives, such as: the accommodation of the hegemonic position regarding mercury supply sources, trade, import and export; an integrated approach to health issues, linking clear obligations to responsible sectors in the context of the participating countries; the inclusion of handicraft and small-scale gold mining in the negotiations, encouraging the formalization of such activities, and a detailed approach concerning mercury releases in soil and water. In conclusion, it is possible to consider that the financial instrument negotiation framework has been significantly determined by the polarization between donors and recipient countries. At several occasions, the marked opposition paralyzed the decision making process, especially when it was related to the technical and scientific elements of the agreement. At the end, the negotiations resulted on a hybrid financial mechanism, which was a consequence of the verified commitment among donors and recipient countries. This financial mechanism is made predominantly by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund and, complementarily, by a specific international Programme to support capacity-building and technical assistance – its scope has yet to be defined. Therefore, financial mechanism negotiations demonstrated an apparent political division between developed and developing countries in the environmental governance structure.

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) continues to grow in more than 70 countries in the developing world, creating thriving local rural economies but also causing significant environmental contamination and health issues, with one particularly problematic issue involving the use of mercury in the gold extraction process. With the advent of the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2009, a legally binding treaty aimed at reducing and where feasible eliminating mercury use, countries with significant ASGM populations require solutions for this sector. In April 2014, a mixed-methods rapid appraisal study was carried out over a three week period in the gold mining region of Kedougou, Senegal. During this time 80 structured interviews, 120 household surveys, physical measurements, observations and numerous informal interviews were utilized in conjunction with a comparative data analysis in order to create a national inventory of the ASGM sector for Senegal, to explore the sector’s socio-economic contribution to rural development in Senegal, and to provide a basis for discussing policy approaches needed to improve the sector. The results of this study show a thriving ASGM sector composed of approximately 67,000 people, producing an estimated 4.5 tonnes of gold per year and releasing approximately 5.2 tonnes of mercury into the environment. The methodologies used to create these estimates also provide in-depth information that illustrates an ASGM sector that is highly inter-connected with customary tenure practices and traditional agrarian livelihoods, and that is important for rural inhabitants in Senegal and other countries. This information can be utilized by the Senegalese and other governments to inform the policies that are being developed for the ASGM sector as they implement the obligations created by the Minimata Convention. / Graduate / 0503 / 0366 / 0617 / persaud.anthonyw@gmail.com

The goal of this thesis is to examine the theme of community in two translated works, Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow: Our Minamata Disease and Lake of Heaven, by Ishimure Michiko. I analyze how Ishimure defines a community, and I also look at the tension between insiders of the community with outsiders. Next, I look at Ishimure’s use of genre in Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow; she blends autofiction, autobiography, and illness narratives to give different perspectives to reflect on the Minamata disease health crisis. Through this analysis, I also look at the shift in Ishimure’s tone toward outsiders, moving from anger to reconciliation between the texts in question. Lastly, I comment on the change in Ishimure’s public image and discuss a story where she is the outsider experiencing Tokyo.

La scène internationale se caractérise par des relations de diverses natures entre les États. Pourtant, en observant plus attentivement, on se rend compte que cette coopération prend des tournures non linéaires sous le prisme des considérations financières. En effet, le financement est devenu le dénominateur qui façonne les relations interétatiques. Le droit international de l’environnement en général, et le secteur des produits chimiques et des déchets dangereux en particulier, n’échappe pas à ce paradigme. L’essentiel des échanges internationaux a pour trame de fond, l’exploitation des ressources naturelles et le commerce. Or depuis la deuxième et la troisième révolution industrielle, l’homme a appris à extraire et transformer les minerais et à synthétiser de nouvelles molécules pour la fabrication de produits de toute sorte. La surexploitation des ressources naturelles a parallèlement généré des retombées environnementales indésirables en termes de pollution transfrontière et d’atteintes graves sur la santé humaine. Cet état de choses a progressivement conduit à l’adoption d’instruments juridiques internationaux pour en limiter ou éradiquer les effets. C’est dans ce contexte que sont nées les Conventions de Bâle, de Rotterdam, de Stockholm, et récemment, la Convention de Minamata sur le mercure. Ces quatre instruments juridiques forment le système légal dans le secteur des produits chimiques et déchets dangereux. Toutefois, l’efficacité de cet arsenal passe inévitablement par la mise en œuvre de ces conventions. Or force est de constater que les choses ne sont pas aussi faciles dans la pratique. Le principal point d’achoppement réside très souvent dans les questions de financement des surcoûts que leur application entraîne dans les pays en voie de développement. Qui doit payer? La réponse à cette question passe par l’explication et l’interprétation du Principe des responsabilités communes mais différenciées et l’analyse de l’efficacité des mécanismes de financement mis en place dans le cadre de chaque convention. Face à ces préoccupations liées au financement, la question qu’on peut se poser est celle de savoir si le régime juridique n’est pas la source du problème. De plus, quel est l'impact des tentatives de restructuration entamées depuis quelques années? Quelles améliorations peuvent être proposées? C’est à cet ensemble de préoccupations que cette thèse apporte des réponses. / The international scene is marked by different types of interstate relationships. However, upon close consideration, this collaboration takes on a non-linear appearance from a financial point of view. In fact, funding has become the common denominator that shapes interstate relationships. International environmental law, as well as the chemical industry - particularly the hazardous waste sector - do not escape this paradigm. The exploitation of natural resources and trade constitute the foundation of this vital area of international exchanges. Since the second and third industrial revolutions, man has learned to extract and transform minerals and synthesize new molecules in order to manufacture of all sorts of products. The overexploitation of natural resources has by the same token led to undesirable environmental impacts in the form of transboundary contamination and severe damage to human health. This state of affairs has gradually led to the adoption of international legal instruments with a view to limiting or eradicating the aforementioned effects. It was within this context that the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm and, most recently, the Minamata Convention on Mercury were adopted. These four legal instruments form the legal structure in the chemicals and hazardous waste sector. However, the effectiveness of this arsenal involves the implementation of these conventions. But this is not as easy in practice. The main stumbling block is often the question of financing the additional costs that their implementation entails in developing countries. Who should pay? The answer to this question lies in the explanation and interpretation of the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and the analysis of the effectiveness of the financing mechanisms set up under each convention. In the face of these funding concerns, the question that can be asked is whether the legal regime is not the source of the problem. Moreover, what is the impact of the restructuring attempts initiated in recent years? What improvements can be proposed? It is to this set of concerns that this thesis provides answers.