![]() Konrad Von Moltke, director of the Institute for European Environmental Policy, later translated it into English. Preventing risks and protecting resourcesīest known for its use as a regulatory guideline in environmental law and public health, the Precautionary Principle originated with the German term “Vorsorgeprinzip” applied to regulations for preventing air pollution. So it’s reasonable to exercise precaution and not introduce living things into new places without strong evidence it will be harmless. The possibility of harm does not need to be specific to that particular circumstance sometimes we can judge a category of actions as one that always requires precaution because we know it has a high risk of unintended consequences.įor example, invasive species (plants or animals that cause harm after being introduced into a new environment by humans) have repeatedly caused native species to become extinct. It emphasizes waiting for more complete information before risking causing damage, especially if some of the possible impacts would be irreversible, hard to contain, or would affect people who didn’t choose to be involved. It shifts the burden of proof from proving something was dangerous after the fact to proving it is safe before taking chances. The Precautionary Principle reflects the reality of working with and within complex systems. ![]() The interconnections and dependencies within systems make it almost impossible to predict outcomes-and seeing as they often require a reasonably precise set of conditions to function, our interventions can wreak havoc. Whenever we make even the smallest change within a complex system, we risk dramatic unintended consequences. ![]() In this article, we will explore how the Precautionary Principle works, its strengths and drawbacks, the best way to use it, and how we can apply it in our own lives. While there is no single definition, it typically refers to acting to prevent harm by not doing anything that could have negative consequences, even if the possibility of those consequences is uncertain. Also known as the Precautionary Approach or Precautionary Action, the Precautionary Principle is a concept best summed up by the proverb “better safe than sorry” or the medical maxim to “first do no harm.”
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