Last Updated on 1/14/02
Email: information@biotech-info.net
News Release
Twelve key lessons for decision-making have emerged from a
ground-breaking
analysis by the European Environment Agency of cases - from the damaging
of
the ozone layer by CFC chemicals to the "mad cow" disease epidemic -
where
public policy was formulated against a background of scientific
uncertainty
or surprise developments, or where clear evidence of hazards to people
and
the environment was ignored.
A new EEA report published today, Late lessons from early warnings: the
precautionary principle 1896-2000, examines how the concept of
precaution
has been applied - or not - by policy-makers over the past century when
addressing a broad range of hazards linked to public health and the
environment in Europe and North America.
The report should help to improve mutual understanding between Europe
and
the United States on the use of the precautionary principle in
policy-making. The debate has been marked by disputes over the safety of
synthetic hormones in beef and of genetically modified plants and
foods.
"Our central conclusion is that the very difficult task of maximising
innovation whilst minimising hazards to people and their environments
could
be undertaken more successfully in future if the twelve 'late lessons'
drawn
from the histories of the hazards studied in this report were heeded,"
said
Domingo Jiménez-Beltrán, EEA Executive Director.
The report's 14 case studies, contributed by experts in their respective
fields, provide many examples where inaction by regulators had costly
and
unforeseen consequences for human health and the environment or where
early
warnings, and even "loud and late" warnings, of problems were clearly
ignored.
The consequences range from the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
people
from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma, to the over-exploitation and
subsequent collapse of fisheries in Canada, California and Scotland,
with
devastating impacts on local communities.
The 12 "late lessons" drawn from the case studies include the following:
"The case studies show how harmful and costly misuse or neglect of the
precautionary principle can be," he continued. "But over-precaution can
also
be expensive, in terms of lost opportunities for innovation and lost
lines
of scientific enquiry.
"If more account is taken - scientifically, politically and economically
-
of a richer body of information from more diverse sources, then society
may
be considerably more successful at achieving a better balance between
innovations and their hazards in the future. The twelve 'late lessons'
distilled from the case studies could help to achieve this better
balance."
Professor Harremoës added: "None of the lessons would themselves remove
the
dilemmas of decision-making under situations of uncertainty and high
stakes.
They cannot eradicate uncertainties or avoid the consequences of
ignorance.
But they would at least increase the chances of anticipating costly
impacts,
of achieving a better balance between the pros and cons of technological
innovations and of minimising the costs of unpleasant surprises."
The case studies cover the BSE or "mad cow" crisis; the use of synthetic
hormones and antimicrobial agents to promote growth in farm animals; the
use
of the cancer-causing synthetic hormone DES to prevent miscarriages in
women; over-exploitation of fisheries in the northern hemisphere; the
use of
medical radiation, asbestos, CFCs, and the chemicals benzene, MTBE (a
substitute for lead in petrol), tributyl tin (an antifoulant for boats
and
ships) and PCBs; chemical contamination of North America's Great Lakes;
and
air pollution from sulphur dioxide.
The report is an example of the kind of information that is needed to
help
the European Union and EEA member countries frame and identify sound and
effective policies that protect the environment and contribute to
sustainable development. It also seeks to help clarify the definitions
of
key terms, disagreement over which has added to the intrinsic
difficulties
of applying the precautionary principle in practice.
Mr Jiménez-Beltrán said: "The precautionary principle is not just an
issue
for the European Union: its potential impact on trade means that its
application can have global repercussions. The current dialogue between
the
EU and the United States on the use and application of precaution is
partly
affected by confusion about the meaning of terms used in the debate.
"This report should contribute to a greater and shared understanding
about
past decisions on hazardous technologies and therefore, we hope, to
improved
transatlantic agreement about future decisions. It may also help the
dialogue within both the EU and the United States, where there are
healthy
debates about the pros and cons of applying the precautionary
principle."
The 12 "late lessons" are:
The report and its individual chapters can be downloaded from the EEA
web
site at
<http://reports.eea.eu.int/environmental_issue_report_2001_22/en>.
Printed copies are also available on request.
Notes for editors>br?
The precautionary principle governs the use of foresight in
decision-making
in situations characterised by uncertainty and ignorance and where both
regulatory action and inaction carry potentially large costs.
The principle is enshrined in the European Union treaty. The most
significant support for the principle in Europe has come from the
European
Commission's Communication on the Precautionary Principle, the European
Parliament's resolution on the Communication and the Council of
Ministers'
Nice resolution on the precautionary principle, all issued in 2000.
Late lessons from early warnings: the precautionary principle 1896-2000
is
published by the EEA as Environmental Issue report no. 22. It will also
be
published in spring 2002 by Earthscan Publications Ltd. For more
information, see
About the EEA
Located in Copenhagen and operational since 1994, the EEA is open to all
countries that share its objectives and are able to participate in its
activities. Since 1 January 2002 the Agency has 29 member countries.
These
are the 15 EU Member States; Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, which
are
members of the European Economic Area; and 11 of the 13 countries in
central
and eastern Europe and the Mediterranean area that are seeking accession
to
the EU - Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic. Their
membership makes the EEA the first EU body to take in the candidate
countries. It is anticipated that the two remaining candidate countries,
Poland and Turkey, will ratify their membership agreements over the next
few
months. This will take the Agency's membership to 31 countries.
Tony Carritt
Tel (direct): +45 3336 7147
Kongens Nytorv 6
The EEA aims to support sustainable development and to help achieve
significant and measurable improvement in Europe's environment through
the
provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to
policy
making agents and the public.
** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material
is distributed for research and educational purposes only. **
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Last Updated on 1/14/02 Email: information@biotech-info.net |
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