Precaution: principles and practice in Australian environmental and natural resource management
No hay miniatura disponible
Fecha
Autores
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
Resumen
Descripción
Since the late 1980s, the concept of precaution has been incorporated into numerous
international agreements and laws, as well as in domestic statutes and policies in many
countries. This paper examines the international emergence of the concept and its
application in Australia. Despite rapid growth in adoption of the so-called ‘precautionary
principle’, the concept remains highly controversial, and its success in terms of
improving environmental and natural resource management has been questioned. A
common misconception is that the principle prescribes action. In fact, internationally
accepted definitions are about decision-making processes. This paper argues that
implementation guidelines are essential to ensure that precautionary decision-making
is consistent with good decision-making principles, and to avoid unnecessary costs
and perverse outcomes.