A joint initiative of:

Reliance on the precautionary principle has sparked major controversy, raising issues around equity, “green protectionism”, conflicts between environment and development priorities, the use of science, and the role of stakeholders in decision-making around risk. The meaning and application of precaution has been highly contested. For instance, strong sentiments have surrounded negotiations around the precautionary principle at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the principle has been at the core of a series of disputes in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) arena. Controversy has been sparked by the perceived ambiguity or impracticality of the precautionary principle, the potential for its operation to conflict with trade, economic or development priorities, cost implications of its adoption, the wide discretionary leeway it allows decision makers, and the potential for this leeway to allow imposition of particular environmental values or disguise trade-protectionist abuse. There has been wide distrust of the principle, lack of clear or shared understanding of its meaning or relevance, little analysis of its on-the-ground impacts, and scant guidance available for its application. Furthermore, while a range of concerns has been articulated by developing countries, the active policy debate over precaution has been largely dominated by corporate and environmental voices from developed countries. Frank Antram Giant clams for export in the Caribbean These concerns and related issues prompted and have been explored in this project. next >> back to home page