THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE PROJECT
ONLINE CONSULTATION
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From: Rob Cozens
Affiliation: Ocean Wildnerness Network
Remote Name: compression03.oak.mdsg-pacwest.com
Time: 16:35:35 +0100
"Between human cultures there are different interpretations of common principles. For example in Canada it may be argued that First Nations are grounded more in the principle of being care takers of the land while non First Nation Canadians relate to the land more so for profit and wealth creation..." I believe that this difference in principles is not genetic in origin, but a function of the amount of each individual's lifetime spent with nature. I suggest that non First Nation Canadians living where they encounter more animals than people daily are likely to feel a stronger affinity for the land than First Nations Canadians living in Ottawa or Quebec. While an aboriginal upbringing gives an individual a better basis for relating to the natural world, modern technological societies constantly engage the senses of their constituants, allowing little opportunity for quiet reflection and observation. Technological societies also promote technology as the basis for "the good life", ignoring or undervaluing the web of life we depend upon for survival and, in the U.S. at least, spawning a society of money addicts. An example of how far this can go: The Sonoma County [CA,USA] Planning Commission is considering adopting a proposal based on the proposition that clearcutting mature forest ecosystem can result in "no net loss" if it is mitagated by planting some predetermined land area with seedlings. Canadian examples of consequences of failure to follow precautionary principles include decimation of the North Atlantic cod fisheries and the toxic poisoning of marine mammals in the St. Lawerence River. The preceeding is a statement of my personal views, and does not necessarily represent the viewpints of the OWN Executive Committee and/or OWN's constituant organizations.
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