Interpreting the Precautionary Principle

Leading experts analyze the fundamental concept and implications of the Precautionary Principle, on which environmental legislation and international conventions increasingly rely.

Viewed from the perspective of environmental management, this study describes the implications and applications of the precautionary principle - a theory of avoiding risk even when its likelihood seems remote. This principle has been employed in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the North Atlantic Convention, yet it is not widely understood. This study examines the history and context of the principle, and its applications to law, governmental policies, business and investment, scientific research and international relations.

Foreword * Part I - History and Context of the Precautionary Principle: The History and Contemporary Significance of the Precautionary Principle * The precautionary Principle in Germany - Enabling Government * Part II - Implications for Science: Editorial Introduction * Precaution, Science and the Sin of Hubris * What if? Versus If it Ain't Broke Don't Fix It * Taking Care * The Social Construction of Precaution * Part III - Implications for Management: Editorial Introduction * The Precautionary Principle and Economic Analysis * The Precautionary Principle and Moral Values * How the Media Respond to Precaution * The Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms * the Precautionary Principle in Local Government * Part IV - The International Dimension: Editorial Introduction * The Precautionary Principle in US Environmental Law * The Introduction of Precautionary Principle in the UK * The Precautionary Principle in Australia * The Status of the Precautionary Principle in International Law * Part V - The Future: Seeping through the Pores

Timothy O'Riordan is Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of East Anglia. James Cameron is a barrister, and a foundling Director of the Foundation for International Law and Development (FIELD).