In the late 1950s, people and animals in the Japanese fishing village of Minamata began to fall ill to a strange disease, which mainly affects the central nervous system. In severe cases, victims fell into a coma and died within weeks. Researchers later found that high levels of methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury, in the industrial wastewater from a chemical factory was the cause of the disease and named it Minamata disease.

While the health risks are well-known, mercury emissions by humans continue to increase. You can make a difference, actions such as recycling electronics, responsibly using clean energy and avoiding gold mined with mercury can help people and the planet.

Gold is one of the world’s most valuable metals, used in everything from electronics to dentistry. But do you know where yours comes from? 20% of gold comes from artisanal and small-scale miners, who often work illegally using toxic chemicals, such as mercury. The Minamata Convention is working to promote mercury-free mining that helps workers and the planet.

Two years ago, on 16 August 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury – a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from human-induced emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds – came into force. Annually, as much as 9,000 tons of mercury are released into the atmosphere, in water and on land. The largest source of these emissions is artisanal and small-scale gold mining, followed closely by coal combustion, non-ferrous metal production and cement production.

Of the more than 100 videos we produced in 2017, here are seven that bring out some of the highlights of the year.  1. World Pangolin Day On 18 February, we marked World Pangolin Day, which celebrates one of the planet's most bizarre - and endangered - species.    2. Launch of the Clean Seas campaign