Precautionary principle cuts costs as well as risks

Can the Precautionary Principle Manage Risks Effectively?

In the past two centuries, despite — or is it because of ? —economic growth and technological change, life threatening risks have one by one been reduced or eliminated in the world’s richer nations (Goklany 2007). The 20th century saw the United States’ population multiply by four, income by seven, carbon dioxide emissions by nine, material use by 27, and chemical use by more than 100. Yet peop...

Hormones as growth promoters: the precautionary principle or a political risk assessment? 149 14. Hormones as growth promoters: the precautionary principle or a political risk assessment?

Oestrogenic steroid hormones (‘oestrogens’) have a crucial role in cellular regulation in all vertebrate species. The levels required to bring about such changes are very low, around 0.1–1 pg/ml (picograms per millilitre) of serum. It has been known for over five decades that oestrogens affect the development of the male reproductive system of mammals (Zuckerman, 1940). Nonetheless, oestrogenic...

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.

The Precautionary Principle Revisited:

The precautionary principle was included in 1992 in the Rio Declaration on Environmental and Development and is a part of important international agreements and documents, for example, the Convention on Biological Diversity. Yet the interpretation of this principle is not straightforward as a guide for environmental policy – a variety of interpretations are possible. This paper identifies and e...