The Precautionary Principle in the International Arena
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the precautionary principle in terms of its history, use, and application in several different international agreements. The precautionary principle is preventative in nature and stems from the idea that just because an activity cannot be proven unsafe does not mean that it does not have any negative effects. It has been heralded and criticized by scientists alike, and it has been applied in so many different ways that its definition depends on which international agreement one is reading.
The full seven page policy is linked below. If this were written as a parody, most of us would laugh it off. But instead, the international UN committee buys into it and feeble minded (or devious) local politicians take it as profound and use it to guide the policy they create to guide our lives.
http://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1278&context=sdlp
Downloadable Version (PDF) The Precautionary Principle in the International Arena
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