|
Precautionary Principle The Precautionary Principle basically says that if a practice seems likely to harm the environment, even if proof is not definitive, actions should be taken to eliminate or control the practice. At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration stated:
For years, the cause of the depletion of ozone in the stratosphere was uncertain. Although most scientists in the late 1970s and early 1980s agreed that CFCs were responsible for ozone destruction, the opinion was not unanimous. There was also considerable disagreement as to how severe human-caused damage would be. Even though, twenty nations signed the Vienna Convention for the Protection for the Ozone Layer 1985, the consensus emerged which held that, although a problem existed, any major consequences were well in the future. As a result, no one was required to take any action. If the Precautionary Principle had been in place, their decision might have been different.
[ Precautionary Principle ] [ Montreal
Protocol ] [ Home ] [ Teacher Pages ] [ Modules & Activities ] |
HTML code by Chris Kreger
Maintained by ETE Team
Last updated April 28, 2005
Some images © 2004 www.clipart.com
Privacy Statement and Copyright © 1997-2004 by Wheeling Jesuit University/NASA-supported Classroom of the Future. All rights reserved.
Center for Educational Technologies, Circuit Board/Apple graphic logo, and COTF Classroom of the Future logo are registered trademarks of Wheeling Jesuit University.