| The Precautionary Principle | ||
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Final Wingspread Precautionary Principle Statement Interpreting the Precautionary Principle Our 'Stolen Future' and the Precautionary Principle a viewpoint against
the PP |
 The Precautionary Principle states that if a practice seems likely
to harm the environment, even if proof of harm is not definitive, actions should be taken
to eliminate or control the practice. Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration says"In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by states according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation." Embedded within the Precautionary Principle is the idea that protection of human health and the environment is taken in advance, not after the potential for damage has occurred.
Within this context, the following questions are submitted for consideration in implementing the Precautionary Principle: What strategies for carrying out precautionary action are appropriate and should be advocated? Examples of strategies: pollution prevention alternatives assessment phase-outs flexible assurance bonding
How and when should these methods be used? Is there a difference between those instruments used for new activities than for existing activities? How do we say "yes" to new technologies, processes or activities under the Precautionary Principle? How can the concept of precaution be integrated into both government and corporate decision making? How do we integrate the ethical imperative of precaution and prevention into decision making? Is the Precautionary Principle more democratic than other decision making strategies? If so, how can we ensure that decisions made based on the Precautionary Principle are done democratically? How do we integrate public concerns and nontraditional analyses, such as social impacts, into decision making? Are consensus conferences and scenario workshops a reasonable model for democratic decision making? How do we involve affected parties in decisions regarding science and technology? Barriers to Precaution...What needs to change? What are the specific barriers to the integration of the Precautionary Principle into environmental and public health legislation, as well as agency decision making structures? Are these barriers legislative, scientific, corporate, human or a combination? How can we overcome these barriers, and define which are the most important? How do we overcome hurdles to precautionary decision making established by risk assessment, scientific uncertainty and cost benefit analysis? Implementation of Precautionary Policies What would a policy framework for the Precautionary Principle look like? What strategies should we adopt to integrate the Precautionary Principle into environmental, occupational and public health decision making? What would model legislation for invoking the Precautionary Principle look like? Can precautionary policies be incorporated into existing legislation, or is development of new legislation necessary? What types of outreach need to be conducted to ensure movement towards more precautionary policies? What mechanisms exist to ensure that precautionary action prevents the occurrence of subsidiary hazards and impacts? How do we shift government and research priorities, both funding and research, from analyzing and studying specific problems to finding solutions?
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