The Lack of Clarity in the Precautionary Principle

Turner, Derek; Hartzell, Lauren

doi:10.3197/0963271042772604

Cited by 64 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…It is also a problem that has important practical implications on our own planet. It means for instance that there is an asymmetry between showing that a process or a substance is dangerous and showing that it is safe, thus complicating the efforts to protect the environment and human health from dangerous substances and practices by reversing the burden of proof [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58].…”

Section: The Asymmetry Between Proving An Instance and Proving A Univmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Does It Take to Establish that a World Is Uninhabited Prior to Exploitation? A Question of Ethics as well as Science

Persson

2014

Challenges

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Abstract:If we find life on another world, it will be an extremely important discovery and we will have to take great care not to do anything that might endanger that life. If the life we find is sentient we will have moral obligations to that life. Whether it is sentient or not, we have a duty to ourselves to preserve it as a study object, and also because it would be commonly seen as valuable in its own right. In addition to this we would also have a duty to our fellow humans and other earthly life forms not to expose them to danger by advertently or inadvertently exposing them to potentially harmful space organisms. When space exploration turns into exploitation it will therefore be important to be able to show that a world that is up for exploitation is uninhabited before the exploitation starts. Showing that a world is uninhabited is, however, a different kind of task than showing that it is inhabited. The latter task can be accomplished through one positive finding but it is not clear how to go about the former task. In this paper I suggest that it is a gradual process asymptotically approaching certainty rather than a discovery in the traditional sense of the word. It has to be handled in two steps. The first is to connect degree of certainty with research setup. The second is to decide how certain we need to be. The first step is about the number, diversity and quality of observations. The second step is a decision we have to make based on the purpose of the investigation. The purpose and therefore the degree of certainty needed to establish that a world is uninhabited will be different for a world that is up for exploitation than for a world that is not. In the latter case it is only a matter of epistemic values. In the former case also ethical values have to be considered.

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Section: The Asymmetry Between Proving An Instance and Proving A Univmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Does It Take to Establish that a World Is Uninhabited Prior to Exploitation? A Question of Ethics as well as Science

Persson

2014

Challenges

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“…Some advocates worry that public interpretations of the principle have weakened over time, as its higher political profile engenders conflict with other legal and economic pressures, especially those related to trade liberalisation (Barrett and Tickner 2001, Applegate 2002, Pesendorfer 2006 (Jordan and O'Riordan 1999, Foster et al 2000, Turner and Hartzell 2004, Sunstein 2005, Weiss 2007). As Manson (2002, p. 263) says:…”

Section: Environmental Politics 87mentioning

confidence: 97%

Defining the precautionary principle: an empirical analysis of elite discourse

Salvo¹,

Raymond²

2010

Environmental Politics

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The precautionary principle (PP) has gained influence in environmental politics as a 'policy principle' -an idea that can spur policy change. Yet, exact definitions of the PP remain elusive, making evaluation of its actual political influence difficult. Given the controversy over the PP's meaning and policy utility, broader empirical analysis of its public formulations is overdue. Elite discourse on the PP is analysed in the search for a dominant formulation among 238 articles in a variety of disciplines. The modal PP formulation is found to be a mix of stronger and weaker elements, broadly resembling Principle 15 of the 1992 Rio Declaration. The data suggest that the principle has become weaker over time, and that its critics formulate it more strongly than proponents. Contrary to some assertions, however, American and European authors do not differ significantly in their interpretations of the PP.

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“…There is a line of reasoning that can link ecosystem diversity and resilience maintenance together with support for the precautionary principle and strong sustainability. The precautionary principle itself is shrouded in ambiguity (Turner and Hartzell 2004;Ekeli 2004) and CBA can provide useful filter for it if a 'safe minimum standards' (SMS) interpretation covering species, habitata and ecosystems is accepted (Crowards 1998). Under the SMS there is a presumption in favour of not harming the environment unless the opportunity costs of that action are, in some sense, very high.…”

Section: Cba and Sustainability Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limits to CBA in UK and European environmental policy: retrospects and future prospects

Turner

2007

Environ Resource Econ

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This paper reviews the contemporary debate and the now long standing role of CBA in UK and European environmental policy appraisal (EPA) and looks forward to possible future applications. The position taken is that despite its limitations CBA still has an important part to play in EPA. However, with the increasingly ‘contested’ nature of environmental and related public policies and outcomes, its role will become less prescriptive and its findings more constrained by social justice and ethical imperatives. Future CBA is more likely to continue to flourish as a component in a wider policy analysis and decision support system. Whatever decision support system is eventually adopted, its value will be judged on how well it aids real policymakers operating iteratively in the non-linear real world political economy. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007Cost–benefit analysis, Environmental policy, Valuation,

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The Lack of Clarity in the Precautionary Principle

Cited by 64 publications

References 7 publications

What Does It Take to Establish that a World Is Uninhabited Prior to Exploitation? A Question of Ethics as well as Science

What Does It Take to Establish that a World Is Uninhabited Prior to Exploitation? A Question of Ethics as well as Science

Defining the precautionary principle: an empirical analysis of elite discourse

Limits to CBA in UK and European environmental policy: retrospects and future prospects

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