The ""precautionary principle""—the idea that society should guard against potentially harmful activities even if some cause and effect relationships have not been fully established—has often been attacked for being unscientific. However leading scientists studying the issue have begun to make the case that the precautionary principle is in fact science based, and that it creates a need for more rigorous and transparent science in examining complex and uncertain environmental risks.Precaution, Environmental Science, and Preventive Public Policy is the first book to explore the role of science in developing a more precautionary approach to environmental and public health policy. The book brings together leading scientists, legal experts, philosophers, environmental health professionals, and environmentalists to offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on the controversial debate over science and precaution. The book:discusses the critical need for science in promoting sustainabilityoutlines the ethical imperative of a more precautionary science and the philosophical foundations of that new approachconsiders some of the ways in which the current conduct of environmental science works against precautionary policiesexamines how the role and use of science differs across cultures and political systemsprovides the components of an approach to environmental science that more effectively supports precautionary decisionsThe book also offers case studies that consider various types of uncertainty and sets forth a framework for evaluating and addressing uncertainty in decision-making.Contributors include Juan Almendares, Katherine Barrett, Kamaljit Bawa, Finn Bro-Rasmussen, Donald Brown, Theofanis Christoforou, Terry Collins, Barry Commoner, Carl Cranor, Stephen Dovers, David Gee, Elizabeth Guillette, Cato ten Hallers-Tjabbes, James Huff, Matthias Kaiser, Richard Levins, Mary O'Brien, Carolyn Raffensperger, Jerry Ravetz, Vandana Shiva, Boyce Thorne-Miller, Joe Thornton, Reginald Victor, and Alistair Woodward.Precaution, Environmental Science, and Preventive Public Policy presents a broad overview of the role of science in implementing the precautionary principle and makes a compelling case that science should be used not just to study problems but to develop solutions.
Introduction \ Joel A. Tickner
PART I. Scientists' Perspectives on Precaution, Science, and Policy Chapter 1. The Role of Environmental Science in Precautionary Decision Making \ Joel A Tickner Chapter 2. Elements of the Precautionary Tale \ Barry Commoner
PART II. Precaution, Ethics, and the Philosophy of Science Chapter 4. Ethics, Science, and Precaution: A View from Norway \ Matthias Kaiser Chapter 5. Science, Human Rights, and the Precautionary Principle in Honduras \ Juan Almendares
PART III. The Implications of Uncertainty on Science and Public Policy: Case Studies from the Field Chapter 6. Fisheries and the Precautionary Principle \ Boyce Thorne-Miller Chapter 7. Risk, Uncertainties, and Precautionary Principle: The Case of Endocrine Disruption \ Joe Thornton Chapter 9. Uncertainty and Global Climate Change:The Case of Mosquitoes and Mosquito-Borne Disease \ Alistair Woodward Chapter 10. The Precautionary Principle as a Guide to Environmental Impact Analysis: Lessons Learned from Global Warming \ Donald A. Brown Chapter 11. Certainty Claimed:Science and Politics in Canadian GMO Regulations \ Katherine Barrett and Stuart Lee Chapter 12. Uncertainty and Biodiversity Conservation \ Reinmar Seidler and Kamaljit Bawa
PART IV. Science in Governance and Governance of Science Chapter 13. Late Lessons from Early Warnings: Improving Science and Governance under Uncertainty and Ignorance \ David Gee and Andrew Stirling Chapter 14. Biodiversity Conservation in Developing Countries: Managing Uncertainty in Strategies and Action Plans to Support Precautionary Action \ Reginald Victor Chapter 15. A Living Legacy:The Precautionary Ideal in American Law \ Sheila Jasanoff Chapter 16. The Precautionary Principle in European Community Law and Science \ Theofanis Christoforou
PART V. Science for Solutions: A New Paradigm Chapter 17. Precautionary Assessment: A Framework for Integrating Science, Uncertainty, and Preventive Public Policy \ Joel A. Tickner Chapter 18. Science in the Service of Good: The Precautionary Principle and Positive Goals \ Mary O'Brien Chapter 19. Toward Sustainable Chemistry \ Terry Collins
PART VI. Science to Support Precautionary Decision Making Chapter 20. What Could Precautionary Science Be? Research for Early Warnings and a Better Future \ Carl F. Cranor Chapter 21. The Children of the Yaqui Valley: Precautionary Science and Communities \ Elizabeth A. Guillette Chapter 22. Science Communication and Precautionary Policy: A Marine Case Study \ Cato C. Ten Hallers-Tjabbes Chapter 23. Whose Scientific Method? Scientific Methods for a Complex World \ Richard Levins
PART VII. Conclusions and Afterword Conclusion. Precaution, Environmental Science, and Preventive Public Policy \ Joel A. Tickner
Afterword: Scientists and the Real World \ Lee Ketelsen Appendix: Lowell Statement on Science and the Precautionary Principle About the Authors Index
