Precautionary Tools For Reshaping Environmental Policy

by Myers, Nancy J.; Raffensperger, Carolyn

• ISBN13: 9780262633239
• ISBN10: 026263323X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-11-01
• Publisher: Mit Pr

Summary

The precautionary principle calls for taking action against threatened harm to people and ecosystems even in the absence of full scientific certainty. The rationale is that modern technologies and human activities can inflict long-term, global-scale environmental damage and that conclusive scientific evidence of such damage may be available too late to avert it. The precautionary principle asks whether harm can be prevented instead of assessing degrees of "acceptable" risk. This book provides a toolkit for applying precautionary concepts to reshape environmental policies at all levels. Its compendium of regulatory options, detailed examples, wide-ranging case studies, and theoretical background provides both citizens and policymakers with the basis for acting on any issue in any situation-whether it's pesticide use at local schools or a new international regulatory system for chemicals. Precautionary Tools for Reshaping Environmental Policydescribes the analytical and ethical bases of the precautionary principle as well as practical options for implementing it. It provides a "precautionary checklist" that can serve as a springboard for discussion and decisions. And it offers a variety of case studies that show the precautionary principle in action-from elk and cattle farming to marine fisheries, from the protection of indigenous cultures against bioprospecting to the restoration of the federal court system as a safety net for people harmed by products and chemicals. A hands-on interdisciplinary guide, the book demonstrates the advantages of a precautionary approach and addresses criticisms that have been leveled against it. For updates and more information on the precautionary principle at work, visit www.sehn.org/precaution.html by clicking on the link to the left.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
The Precautionary Toolchest	p. 27
Precautionary Procedures: Tools of Analysis and Intention	p. 29
Precautionary Options	p. 53
Democratic Tools: Communities and Precaution	p. 69
Green Systems	p. 81
A Guide for Precautionary Decision-Making	p. 91
A Checklist for Precautionary Decisions	p. 93
The Checklist at Work	p. 107
Answering the Critics	p. 119
Precautionary Successes, Failures, and Near Misses: Case Studies	p. 131
The Public Trust and Public Values: Elk Farming and Cattle Farming	p. 133
Setting the Right Goals: Marine Fisheries and Sustainability in Large Ecosystems	p. 155
Early Warnings: The History of DDT	p. 195
Harm and Alternatives: Cultures under Siege	p. 215
Wrestling with Uncertainty: Genetically Modified Organisms	p. 241
Transparency: A Precautionary Economic Analysis of Coalbed Methane	p. 269
Shifting Burdens: A Proposal for Tort Reform	p. 299
Afterword	p. 319
The Precautionary Principle in Recent Treaties	p. 323
Blue Mountain Lake Statement of Essential Values	p. 325
About the Authors	p. 327
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