Precaution without perversity: a comprehensive application of the precautionary principle to genetically modified crops

摘要

Apopular formulation of the precautionary principle--and the one I will use in this article--is that contained in the Wingspread Declaration (Raffensperger and Tickner, 1999, p 8): "When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not established scientifically." This principle captures much of the skepticism many environmentalists feel about technology (see, e.g., Goklany, 1996).