Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining And Mercury Management – Innovation Programme
Anthropogenic emissions of mercury to the atmosphere in 2015 were estimated at 2,220 tonnes, approximately 20 percent higher than 2010, according to UN Environment’s Global Mercury Assessment 2018. The report also estimated that almost 38 percent of the global total of emissions was associated with artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and that the sector was the major contributor to the emissions from South America and Sub-Saharan Africa.