The precautionary principle in environmental science.

The precautionary principle in environmental science.

Environmental scientists play a key role in society's responses to environmental problems, and many of the studies they perform are intended ultimately to affect policy. The precautionary principle, proposed as a new guideline in environmental decision making, has four central components: taking preventive action in the face of uncertainty; shifting the burden of proof to the proponents of an a...

The precautionary principle and environmental policy: science, uncertainty, and sustainability.

n matters of personal health, prevention and precaution are widely recognized " best practices. " Policymakers are eager to endorse suggestions that we exercise or eat more fiber, or avoid tobacco and alcohol. Policies governing the release of toxic chemicals into the environment have not reflected similar common sense and foresight. However , there are some positive signs that this is changing...

The Precautionary Principle in Sustainable Environmental Management

The Precautionary Principle , Science , Politics and Ethics

In its restless metamorphosis, the environmental movement captures ideas and transforms them into principles, guidelines and points of leverage. Sustainability is one such idea, now being reinterpreted in the aftermath of the 1992 Rio Conference. So too is the precautionary principle. Like sustainability, the precautionary principle is neither a well defined principle nor a stable concept. It h...

Implementing the Precautionary Principle: incorporating science, technology, fairness, and accountability in environmental, health, and safety decisions.

The Precautionary Principle is in sharp political focus today because: 1) the nature of scientific uncertainty is changing, and 2) there is increasing pressure to base governmental action on more "rational" schemes, such as cost-benefit analysis and quantitative risk assessment, the former being an embodiment of "rational choice theory" promoted by the Chicago School of Law and Economics. The P...