Animal sentience and the precautionary principle

Animal sentience and the precautionary principle

In debates about animal sentience, the precautionary principle is often invoked. The idea is that when the evidence of sentience is inconclusive, we should “give the animal the benefit of the doubt” or “err on the side of caution” in formulating animal protection legislation. Yet there remains confusion as to whether it is appropriate to apply the precautionary principle in this context, and, i...

Standing and the Precautionary Principle

Implementing the precautionary principle.

The precautionary principle can be found in international treaties that protect human health and the environment from a variety of pollutants and perturbations. One of the earliest forms of the precautionary principle was used in the 1980s in Europe to protect the North Sea. In 1992, the Rio Declaration specifically included the precautionary principle in calling on nations to protect the envir...

Expanding the precautionary principle.

Nanomaterials and the Precautionary Principle

Nanomaterials and the Precautionary Principle doi:10.1289/ehp.1103687 Kessler (2011) provided a valuable update on the current state of research and regulatory pol­ icy concerning nano materials. However, the article could give the mis leading impression that the precautionary principle constitutes a straightforward guideline for improving public policy in this area. Instead, the precautionary ...