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Precautionary Principle (precautionary + principle)
Selected AbstractsShould we beware of the Precautionary Principle?ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 33 2001Christian Gollier How should society deal with risks when there is scientific uncertainty about the size of these risks? There has been much recent discussion of the Precautionary Principle, which states that lack of full scientific knowledge should not be used as a reason to postpone cost,effective preventive measures. We show in this paper that the Precautionary Principle contradicts one important intuition about the right way to act in the face of risk, namely the principle of ,looking before you leap'. When we expect to learn more about the future, the effectiveness of our preventive measures will be greater if we learn before we act. However, a number of other ways of taking uncertainty into account are consistent with a reasonable interpretation of the Precautionary Principle. First, postponing preventive measures may increase our vulnerability to damage, which induces a precautionary motive for risk,prevention, similar to the precautionary savings motive. Secondly, stronger preventive actions often yield more flexibility for the future, so that acting early has an option value. Thirdly, when better information comes from a process of learning,by,doing, the risk associated with early events is amplified by the information they yield about the future. This plays a role analogous to that of an increase in risk aversion, making us more cautious. Fourthly, because imperfect knowledge of the risk makes it difficult to insure, the social cost of risk should include a risk premium. Finally, uncertainty about the economic environment enjoyed by future generations should be taken into account. This raises the benefit of acting early to prevent long,term risks. If the Precautionary Principle sometimes gives good and sometimes gives bad advice, there is no escape from the need to undertake a careful cost,benefit analysis. We show that standard cost,benefit analysis can be refined to take account of scientific uncertainty, in ways that balance the Precautionary Principle against the benefits of waiting to learn before we act. Furthermore, it is important that they be used to do so, for instinct is an unreliable guide in such circumstances. Abandoning cost,benefit analysis in favour of simple maxims can result in some seriously misleading conclusions. [source] Games, Gambling, and Children: Applying the Precautionary Principle for Child HealthJOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, Issue 4 2008Adnan A. Hyder MD TOPIC:,We were compelled by the trends of Internet gambling, state-initiated gambling outlets, and of having gambling social events in middle schools and high schools in the United States to examine gambling and its health effects on children and adolescents. PURPOSE AND SOURCES:,We researched trends in adolescent gambling as well as its association with negative health and sociological outcomes through the literature for child and adolescent gambling studies. CONCLUSION:,The literature shows gambling to be associated with many negative health and socioeconomic effects. The increasing participation of children and adolescents is of particular concern, for the earlier a person starts gambling, the more likely that person is to develop serious gambling problems. We propose the application of the precautionary principle in this situation. Until it is proven that adolescents will not be negatively affected by exposure to gambling, the exposure of adolescents to gambling must be carefully restricted. [source] How about alternatives to phthalate plasticizers?JOURNAL OF VINYL & ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Leonard G. Krauskopf Phthalate plasticizers have historically served as the preferred plasticizers to impart flexibility to PVC and several other polar polymers. They provide a desirable balance of cost and performance properties. Their acceptable and safe use is unmatched in medical appliances, food processing, and packaging applications, as well as in many other end uses. Potential alternatives do not have the historical record of acceptable performance found with phthalate plasticizers. Nevertheless, the "Precautionary Principle" has caused certain segments of society to clamor for alternates to phthalate plasticizers. This paper reviews known "non-phthalate" plasticizers and provides comparisons to the traditional "General Purpose" (GP) phthalate plasticizers; "General Purpose" plasticizers are those that impart optimum overall performance properties in PVC at lowest cost. [source] A Core Precautionary Principle*THE JOURNAL OF POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY, Issue 1 2006Stephen M. Gardiner First page of article [source] The Cartagena Protocol: Implications for Regional Trade and Technology Development in AfricaDEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW, Issue 1 2008E. Jane Morris The majority of African countries have ratified or acceded to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and many have received support through the Global Environment Facility and the UN Environment Programme for development of their National Biosafety Frameworks. This article examines the extent to which these frameworks are aligned with the goals of the Regional Economic and Regional Research Communities of which they are members. Many national approaches lack alignment with regional trade, economic, science and technology policies. The strict application of the precautionary principle and the imposition of costly administrative hurdles are likely to hinder intra-regional trade and technology development. [source] Evidence-based policy or policy-based evidence gathering?ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 5 2010Biofuels, the 10% target, the EU Abstract The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive mandates EU member-states' road transport fuel to comprise a minimum of 10% renewable content by 2020. This target is expected to be met predominantly from biofuels. However, scientific evidence is increasingly questioning the ability of biofuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when factors such as indirect land-use change are taken into consideration. This paper interrogates the 10% target, critically assessing its political motivations, use of scientific evidence and the actions of an individual policy entrepreneur who played a central role in its adoption. We find that the commitment of EU decision-making bodies to internal guidelines on the use of expertise and the precautionary principle was questionable, despite the scientific uncertainty inherent in the biofuels debate. Imperatives located in the political space dominated scientific evidence and led to a process of ,policy-based evidence gathering' to justify the policy choice of a 10% renewable energy/biofuels target. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Interpreting sustainable development and societal utility in Norwegian GMO assessmentsENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2008G. Kristin Rosendal Abstract This article examines the process of assessing applications for genetically modified (GM) crops or plants for import or commercial planting in Norway. GMO legislation in Norway is closely linked to the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), to which Norway is a party. A central difference with the EU processes emanates from specific clauses in the Norwegian Gene Technology Act on ,sustainable development' and ,societal utility', which provide a potentially wider leverage for Norwegian authorities to turn down the applications. Research material indicates evidence of an increasingly restrictive practice in the Norwegian evaluations, raising the question of how this can be explained in the face of increasing global acceptance of GMOs. A related question is to what extent and how this result is affected by the trends in the EU. An increasingly restrictive practice may be explained by changes in the access structure to the evaluating body, or it may be due to learning and a growing acceptance of the precautionary principle in this sector. Third, a higher number of rejections may largely be associated with the interest structure pertaining to GMOs in Norway. Final decisions are pending and there are uncertainties concerning how Norwegian authorities will apply the specific criteria of the Gene Technology Act. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Toxicity assessment and public policies: An urgent need for research,ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Eric Vindimian Abstract The new European regulation on chemicals triggers a huge number of new testing. However, more than 2 years after the enforcement of this policy, toxicity assessment and risk assessment are still using single species tests that deliver little information. As it is often the case, the link between science and policy seems to be disrupted. However, policy makers need more than ever information on the fate and effects of chemicals on living systems. Without relevant knowledge for decision making, the application of the precautionary principle is the only reasonable way to manage risks. It is necessary to develop new risk assessment strategies using the last innovations from biology: the omics tools, ecology, ecosystem modeling, chemistry, and computing. This article highlights some of the recent trends in ecotoxicology and calls for a new research strategy. This strategy implies research to be funded by its users. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2010. [source] On scientists' discomfort in fisheries advisory science: the example of simulation-based fisheries management-strategy evaluationsFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 2 2010Sarah B M Kraak Abstract Scientists feel discomfort when they are asked to create certainty, where none exists, for use as an alibi in policy-making. Recently, the scientific literature has drawn attention to some pitfalls of simulation-based fisheries management-strategy evaluation (MSE). For example, while estimates concerning central tendencies of distributions of simulation outcomes are usually fairly robust because they are conditioned on ample data, estimates concerning the tails of distributions (such as the probability of falling below a critical biomass) are usually conditional on few data and thus often rely on assumptions that have no strong knowledge base. The clients of scientific advice, such as the European Commission, are embracing the mechanization of the evaluation of proposed Harvest Control Rules against the precautionary principle and management objectives. Where the fisheries management institutions aim for simple answers from the scientists, giving ,green/red light' to a proposed management strategy, the scientists are forced into a split position between satisfying the demands of their advisory role and living up to the standards of scientific rigour. We argue against the mechanization of scientific advice that aims to incorporate all relevant processes into one big model algorithm that, after construction, can be run without circumspection. We rather encourage that fisheries advice should be a dynamic process of expert judgement, incorporating separate parallel concurrent, lines of scientific evidence, from quantitative and qualitative modelling exercises and factual knowledge of the biology and the fishery dynamics. This process can be formalized to a certain degree and can easily accommodate stakeholder viewpoints. [source] Factors influencing the scope and quality of science and management decisionsFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 1 2002(The good, the bad, the ugly) Abstract The lecture traces the historical path to overfishing of the world's fish and shellfish stocks, and provides an assessment of marine fish resources in the later half of the 1990s. The basis of overfishing as noted by various fishery scientists is reviewed. Four factors, including institutional paralysis, the rapidity of technological developments, uncertainty of science, and the inability to monitor and enforce regulations are identified as the major problems leading to overfishing. The failure of the world community to deal with extensive overfishing, appears to have motivated managers and scientists to promote a new fishery management paradigm that focuses on a broader set of problems resulting from fishing, and establishes a more conservative decision-making process founded on precautionary principle and uncertainty. The author feels that the evolving paradigm will result in the rebuilding of a number of stocks in the United States, but is less certain of its adoption on a global scale, and whether or not science will play a more useful role in fisheries management. It is noted that the support for fisheries science and the status of fisheries have followed opposite courses. Over the past half century marine science has boomed, diversified and become intellectually and materially enriched, while the number of overfished stocks and ecological disasters has increased. Looking ahead it is expected that fisheries management will move into a more conservative era. The focus of fisheries has moved from full use of ocean resources to establishing yields that take into account the impacts of fisheries on target and non-target species and the ecosystem in general. Although there has been wide-spread abuse in the use of the world's fishery resources and condemnation of the fishing industries, the author feels that the government institutions must bear the primary responsibility for the historical course of fishery management and its failure. [source] The EMF uncertainty problem related to mobile phones: where do consumers place their trust?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 2 2010Lisbet Berg Abstract This paper addresses the uncertainty problem, i.e. cases characterized by lack of knowledge or scientific uncertainty. In such situations, it can be hard for consumers to ,voice' or practise consumer power. One field characterized by the uncertainty problem is electromagnetic radiation. An explicit goal of this study has been to articulate Norwegian consumers' practices, attitudes and beliefs regarding electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones to public authorities and consumer policy makers. The study was based on 1000 telephone interviews collected in 2008. Today, experts disagree on the potential health effects of radiation from electromagnetic fields (EMF), as well as standards for safe limits of exposure to mobile phones, base stations and wireless telecommunication systems. In addition, complicated technology and extremely rapid product development and diffusion leave consumers' security considerations to their own beliefs and trust. Whether or not electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones constitutes a health hazard will not be addressed in this paper. Rather, it will focus on how consumers react to this situation of uncertainty. The material reveals four main ways in which consumers can solve what we have named the EMF uncertainty problem: the confident and comfortable way, the sceptical and cautious way, the responsible and good citizen way, and finally, the neglecting way. The paper also discusses the precautionary principle related to EMF. Who should be precautionary: the public authorities, the mobile phone industry or the consumers themselves? We believe that a consistent governmental precautionary policy in combination with consumers taking their own precautionary measures is a viable solution. In this way, all consumers would be addressed and aided when navigating this field of uncertainty. [source] Games, Gambling, and Children: Applying the Precautionary Principle for Child HealthJOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, Issue 4 2008Adnan A. Hyder MD TOPIC:,We were compelled by the trends of Internet gambling, state-initiated gambling outlets, and of having gambling social events in middle schools and high schools in the United States to examine gambling and its health effects on children and adolescents. PURPOSE AND SOURCES:,We researched trends in adolescent gambling as well as its association with negative health and sociological outcomes through the literature for child and adolescent gambling studies. CONCLUSION:,The literature shows gambling to be associated with many negative health and socioeconomic effects. The increasing participation of children and adolescents is of particular concern, for the earlier a person starts gambling, the more likely that person is to develop serious gambling problems. We propose the application of the precautionary principle in this situation. Until it is proven that adolescents will not be negatively affected by exposure to gambling, the exposure of adolescents to gambling must be carefully restricted. [source] REACH: impact on the US cosmetics industry?JOURNAL OF COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Anne Pouillot MS Summary The Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is a recent European regulation on chemical substances meant to protect human health and the environment. REACH imposes the "precautionary principle" where additional data and definitive action are required when uncertainty is identified. The cosmetics industry is only partially concerned by REACH: while the stages of registration and evaluation apply to cosmetics, those of authorization and restriction most likely will not, as cosmetic ingredients are already subject to regulation by various agencies and directives. REACH has potential benefits to the industry including the possibility of reassuring consumers and improving their image of chemicals and cosmetics. However, REACH also has potential disadvantages, mainly with regard to impeding innovation. The American cosmetics industry will be affected by REACH, because all US manufacturers who export substances to Europe will have to fully comply with REACH. [source] How should the risk associated with the introduction of biological control agents be estimated?AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Earl D. McCoy 1Florida has an exceptional burden of invasive species. The history of the classical biological control of invasive arthropod pest species in the region largely is one of inadequate pre-release testing for nontarget effects. 2A recent analysis indicated that a substantial risk of nontarget effects may exist in Florida, although the risk appears to be confined to a relatively small group of species within approximately ten families and documented cases of nontarget effects are rare, despite previous risky practices. 3Great progress has been made recently in creating an organized framework for dealing with the uncertainty accompanying biological control importations in Florida and elsewhere. We suggest some ways in which balancing the risks and associated costs of releasing a biological control agent against the risks and associated costs of not releasing the agent may be improved. 4Ultimately, experts will need to set some level of acceptable risk, and the ,precautionary principle' has been advanced to guide this process. As it stands, however, the precautionary principle applied to biological control falls short as a guide because it does not provide a prescription for action. 5Florida case histories clearly illustrate both the complexity and urgency related to developing a prescription for action. [source] Uncertain risks of drug related harms, the precautionary principle and limitations of meta-analysisBRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 5 2009JM Ritter Editor-in-Chief British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology First page of article [source] A Precautionary Approach to Foreign Policy?BRITISH JOURNAL OF POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Issue 3 2006A Preliminary Analysis of Tony Blair's Speeches on Iraq This article examines the proposition put forward in a BBC documentary concerning ,war on terror' policies in recent decades that the British prime minister embraced the precautionary principle over his decision to go to war with Iraq. We argue that the conventional understandings of precaution that have been developed in the environmental arena do not translate well into the field of foreign policy. Our argument is buttressed by a content analysis of Tony Blair's speeches prior to the Iraq conflict of 2003. The analysis focuses on the ways the prime minister justified his decision to participate in the war in Iraq to the UK electorate. We conclude that, although understandings of precaution, particularly the ,strong' precautionary principle, do have problems when applied to this particular issue, and that the war was mainly based on a traditional ,sound science' foreign policy paradigm, the novel idea of using weaker forms of the precautionary principle in foreign policy is nevertheless intriguing, and warrants further research. [source] How should the risk associated with the introduction of biological control agents be estimated?AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Earl D. McCoy 1Florida has an exceptional burden of invasive species. The history of the classical biological control of invasive arthropod pest species in the region largely is one of inadequate pre-release testing for nontarget effects. 2A recent analysis indicated that a substantial risk of nontarget effects may exist in Florida, although the risk appears to be confined to a relatively small group of species within approximately ten families and documented cases of nontarget effects are rare, despite previous risky practices. 3Great progress has been made recently in creating an organized framework for dealing with the uncertainty accompanying biological control importations in Florida and elsewhere. We suggest some ways in which balancing the risks and associated costs of releasing a biological control agent against the risks and associated costs of not releasing the agent may be improved. 4Ultimately, experts will need to set some level of acceptable risk, and the ,precautionary principle' has been advanced to guide this process. As it stands, however, the precautionary principle applied to biological control falls short as a guide because it does not provide a prescription for action. 5Florida case histories clearly illustrate both the complexity and urgency related to developing a prescription for action. [source] Precautionary Maybe, but What's the Principle?JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 3 2005The Precautionary Principle, the Public Domain, the Regulation of Risk The ,precautionary principle', originating in the field of environmental protection but now widely applied, is a major point for discussion in the regulation of risk. Though promising proactive and pre-emptive intervention to prevent potentially irreversible harm, its precise meaning remains somewhat unclear. Legal systems tend to view it as procedural rather than substantive, and debates abound regarding its ,stronger' or ,weaker' versions and, indeed, the very concept of ,risk'. It is also necessary to discuss how the principle operates in varying administrative and constitutional contexts but the key task is to clarify the principle's fundamental value base. If its essentially collective orientation is highlighted, it may better ensure that democratic and non-pecuniary interests are given due prominence in regulatory contexts otherwise dominated by economic interests and technological imperatives, and it may then play an important role in reasserting the values of the public domain in the face of powerful private interests. [source] Precaution: principles and practice in Australian environmental and natural resource management,AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2006Deborah C. Peterson Since the late 1980s, the concept of precaution has been incorporated into numerous international agreements and laws, as well as in domestic statutes and policies in many countries. This paper examines the international emergence of the concept and its application in Australia. Despite rapid growth in adoption of the so-called ,precautionary principle', the concept remains highly controversial, and its success in terms of improving environmental and natural resource management has been questioned. A common misconception is that the principle prescribes action. In fact, internationally accepted definitions are about decision-making processes. This paper argues that implementation guidelines are essential to ensure that precautionary decision-making is consistent with good decision-making principles, and to avoid unnecessary costs and perverse outcomes. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||