scholarly journals The ecosystem approach and the precautionary principle

Author(s):  
Elisa Morgera
Bioderecho.es ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esteban Morelle Hungría

El ruido en mares y océanos es uno de los más complejos contaminantes que existen y ello es una muestra de la necesidad, imperiosa, de que juristas se pongan a analizar tal compleja situación desde un planteamiento ecosistémico y a escala multinivel. Vemos como la contaminación acústica subacuática dispone de mecanismos e instrumentos jurídicos de control y regulación, sin embargo, parece que todavía los impactos que generan son de tal intensidad que existen ciertas lagunas, quedando mucho por descubrir. Desde este posicionamiento analizamos la necesidad de seguir bajo el prisma del principio de precaución o bien, priorizar sobre otro de los principios funcionales del Derecho ambiental, el de prevención. Underwater noise is one of the most complex pollutants that exist and this is a sign of the imperative need for jurists to analyze such a complex situation from an ecosystem approach and on a multilevel scale. We see how underwater noise pollution has mechanisms and legal instruments for control and regulation, however, it seems that the impacts they generate are still of such intensity that there are certain gaps, leaving much to discover. From this position we analyze the need to continue under the prism of the precautionary principle or, to prioritize over another of the functional principles of environmental law, prevention.  


Author(s):  
Eugen Pissarskoi

How can we reasonably justify a climate policy goal if we accept that only possible consequences from climate change are known? Precautionary principles seem to offer promising guidelines for reasoning in such epistemic situations. This chapter presents two versions of the precautionary principle (PP) and defends one of them as morally justifiable. However, it argues that current versions of the PP do not allow discrimination between relevant climate change policies. Therefore, the chapter develops a further version of the PP, the Controllability Precautionary Principle (CPP), and defends its moral plausibility. The CPP incorporates the following idea: in a situation when the possible outcomes of the available actions cannot be ranked with regard to their value, the choice between available options for action should rest on the comparison of how well decision makers can control the processes of the implementation of the available strategies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-79
Author(s):  
Emma J Marchant

Abstract The targeting protocols applied by forces during armed conflict are some of the most secretive documents held by any military. However, their role in applying principles of international humanitarian law (IHL) means that they are key to understanding their development. This piece is primarily concerned with practical and operational application of the precautionary principle under IHL; how much knowledge is sufficient to carry out an attack lawfully during modern armed conflict. In order to establish if a standard has developed with the increase in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technology, this piece uses the framework of an investigation into an incident in Kunduz, Afghanistan in 2009. I explore the difficulties of obtaining information post-incident, the differential standards expected by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Bundesgerichtshof (German Federal Court of Justice), and the manner in which these can be evaluated through the principles of proportionality, distinction and precautions in attack. The piece looks at the interrelated issues raised by the Rules of Engagement and Tactical Directives, as well as the problems surrounding the clarity of intelligence available. I argue that this case is demonstrative of the failings inherent in the application and practical use of the precautionary principle outlined by IHL. The lack of transparency afforded in, and after, incidents of this nature prevents objective analysis and so the development of IHL can be obfuscated. I conclude that the lack of information following incidents of this kind confuses any intelligence standard that exists under IHL.


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