'Integrating Knowledge to Inform Mercury Policy'

The Integrating Knowledge to Inform Mercury Policy (IKIMP) Initiative provides a mechanism by which the UK scientific and technical knowledge base is used to inform and guide UK public policy relating to mercury.

Focus

IKIMP is addressing four key policy questions, bringing together key scientific experts, industrial players and policymakers to identify and contextualize scientific knowledge:

1. Mercury policy effectiveness – Significant inadequacies in UK databases, monitoring ability, and lack of data for some inventories will be addressed to provide an updated UK national inventory listing of mercury sources and waste streams.
2. UK mercury storage options – An independent assessment of the various storage options and their economics.
3. Key global mercury knowledge gaps – The contribution of anthropogenic and natural emissions to our understanding of the global mercury budget is not sufficiently comprehensive to make accurate and confident assessments. Three key knowledge gaps will be assessed:
   i.    Crustal emissions – The impact of degassing on the global mercury budget.
   ii.   Climate change – UK policy and the consequences of climate change on mercury in the UK environment.
   iii.   Energy policy – Characterisation of global anthropogenic activities in the energy sector to provide insight into the potential impact of these activities on mercury in the UK environment.

Activities

To address these topics, the IKIMP initiative will be organising a series of cross-sectoral workshops, briefings and publications directed at those responsible for public policy development. The IKIMP knowledge exchange initiative intends to place the UK at the forefront of global mercury science and technology relating to mercury risk reduction, and policy development.