DANIEL STEEL Philosophy and the Precautionary Principle: Science, Evidence, and Environmental Policy

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 1195-1200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Colombo ◽  
Katie Steele
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
The Precautionary Principle ◽  
Science Evidence

Taming the Precautionary Principle in EC Law: Lessons from Waste and GMO Regulation

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 468-483
Author(s):  
Ilona Cheyne
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
Commercial Activity ◽  
The Precautionary Principle ◽  
Gmo Regulation ◽  
Guiding Principles ◽  
Ec Law ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe precautionary principle is a cornerstone of the EC's environmental policy and one of the guiding principles in the Waste Directive and GMO legislation. However, there appears to be a shift away from the use of the principle in these policy areas and a re-evaluation of the relationship between it and the commercial activity that it helps to regulate.

UNDERSTANDING THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE AND ITS THREAT TO HUMAN WELFARE

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 378-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Sterling Burnett
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Human Welfare ◽  
The Precautionary Principle ◽  
The Past ◽  
Novel Technology

Over the past three decades, the Precautionary Principle (PP) has become popular in discussions of public policy, especially in relation to health and environmental policy. Though there are a number of different versions of the principle, the genesis of the idea is that it is better to be safe than sorry. In terms of public policy, proponents of the PP argue that being safe means that, if there is a possibility of harm from a new activity or novel technology, even if the scientific evidence concerning the harm is absent or uncertain, precautionary actions should be taken. In one version or another, the PP has been incorporated into a number of laws and treaties. Yet arguments for the PP are unconvincing, the PP itself is vague and when enacted in law, results in arbitrary regulations that pose a threat to human welfare. As a result, the PP should be rejected as a basis for public policy.

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