Precautionary Principle:

1. Precautionary Principle:

2. Introduction Revised course outline Precautionary Principle Hierarchy of human needs

3. Revised Timetable (as of Feb 23)

4. Revised Timetable (as of Feb 23)

5. Reserve Reading Room Articles for Class and Final Exam Consideration Last, J.M. and Quentin Chiotti, (2001) Climate Change and Health, ISUMA, Winter, p62-69. McMichael, A.J. (1997) Global Environmental Change and Human Health: Impact Assessment, Population Vulnerability, and Research Priorities, Ecosystem Health, Vol 3, No 4, December. P.200-207.

6. A healthy economy We only think about taking action on the environment when we have a healthy economy. Haven�t we got it backwards? What are our biological, social and spiritual needs?

7. Hierarchy of Human Needs Clean air Clean water Clean soil Food Energy Biodiversity Employment Justice Security

8. Precautionary Principal Origins PP means �forecaring principle� , foresight or Vorsorge traced back to German clean air environmental policies Established in 1984 at the First International Conference on Protection of the North Sea Integrated into many international charters since Anticipate and avoid damages before they occur or detect them early

9. Precautionary Principle (PP): Ch 14 The precautionary principle (PP) was formulated in response to humans capacity to negatively affect the environment (CFCs and ozone depletion) The PP states that with evidence of threats of significant harm, even though there is scientific uncertainty we need to take action to protect public health and the environment

10. Rio Declaration 1992 �In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or reversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.�

11. Precautionary Principle Values People have responsibility to preserve life Ecosystem integrity vs individual species Antithetical: treat world as a collection of resources to be extracted, consumed, discarded

12. Precautionary Principle Encourages research, innovation and cross-disciplinary problem-solving How much harm can be avoided vs how much harm is acceptable? Harm occurs at many levels: cell, population, ecosystem E.g, is pesticide A or B better? is a different question from is Pesticide A or B necessary?

13. Science is about causality� Burden of proof on governments and individuals to say when something is harmful to life forms 1. cause precedes effect E.g., smoking before lung cancer Aspartame before cancer 2. Multiple sources of evidence 3. Rule out alternative explanations -plausible biological mechanisms -source of bias reduced By the time there is enough proof damage is done

14. Factors in Precautionary Principle Risk assessments too narrowly focussed Number of factors How much we know How much we can know How broadly should questions be framed Who should frame the ? Value of non-human life?

15. Uncertainty Scientific Limits of science, lack of data or models Multiple uncertainties in cause-effect models Statistical or model: - simplification, single variables, nature of relationships

16. Uncertainty Fundamental Ignorance internal to knowledge of one system, or external-nobody knows E.g., depletion of fish stocks affects entire ecosystems By the time there is enough proof, damage is severe

17. Precautionary Principle Systematic look at all kinds of harm, uncertainty and values Goal setting: short-term, long-term and values Assessment of alternatives: acceptable harm, uncertainty, necessary activity Aldo Leopold: �esthetically and ethically right as well as economically expedient�

18. Natural Step (Sweden 1980s) Karl-Heinrich Robert cancer researcher in Sweden ecological and social sustainability 1) substances from earth�s crust must not increase on the surface 2) substances produced by society must not increase in the environment 3) physical basis for productivity and diversity must not be diminished 4) we must be fair and efficient in meeting human needs 10 offices around the world, US, Canada, S.Africa

19. Agriculture Farmers as natural stewards Prairie farmers can feed 100-120 people Issues are distributional not supply-oriented Biotechnology can assist food insecurity issues but at what cost?

20. EXAMPLE Global trade and travel introduce bacteria, viruses, insects, and other exotic species into ecosystems where they didn�t previously exist