The Precautionary Principle for Environmental Management: A Defensive-expenditure Application

摘要

The Precautionary Principle has emerged in response to the need for an effective method for dealing with risks and uncertainties in environmental management. In essence, the Principle requires action to prevent serious and irreversible damage even before harm can be scientifically demonstrated or economically assessed. Proponents argue that the Principle should be applied in situations where both the probability and value of irreversible damage are unknown. The lack of these particular data prevent a full cost-benefit analysis, but permit application of the Principle through the defensive-expenditure approach.