The Precautionary Principle is now a well-accepted principle of international law, and is an attempt to legally codify the well-known maxim, "look before you leap". Greenpeace supports the Precautionary Principle in the face of environmental threats that are potentially devastating but unknown in scope and range of impacts - such as GMOs and nuclear power.
Some scientists have alleged that the Precautionary Principle is not compatible with sound science because it asks for political judgements about uncertainties. Such a claim ignores the large number of political judgements that are made in the 'sound science' model of risk assessments where the treatment of uncertainties, criteria considered relevant for discussion and scrutiny, and range of perspectives worthy of consideration are all made in the formation of, and discussions within, scientific committees and expert panels.
The Precautionary Principle is also linked to the wider concept of 'precaution' wich includes wider sets of perspectives, broader consultation and examination of the purposes of research. Work on the European Commission Forward Studies Unit leads not just to greater legitimacy but also to better science.
More information
The Precautionary Principle: Protecting against failures of scientific method and risk assessment (PDF)
Santillo, D., Stringer, R., Johnston, P. & Tickner, J. (1998)
Marine Pollution Bulletin 36(12): 939-950
On Science and Precaution in the Management of Technological Risk
Andrew Stirling, University of Sussex.
Final Report of a project for the EC Forward Studies Unit, May 1999.
