ENV 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Precautionary Principle, Rio Declaration On Environment And Development, Polluter Pays Principle

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Environmental Studies
• Course: ENV 1101
• Professor: Gideon Christian

Document Summary

Where there is doubts or uncertainty to the environmental effect of action or inaction, you should choose the side of caution. (the side of environmental protection) Where there are threats of serious or. Principle 15 of rio declaration irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost effective measures to prevent environmental degradation. The precautionary principle shifts the burden of proof. : imposes a duty on the people doing projects/products not to cause harm. Must show that the projects or products are environmentally safe. Before you put that product in the market, you must show the product is safe. Ex: global warming: there is no scientific evidence outlined the exact cause of global warming. In this case, we would take a position to help the environment and act without the scientific certainty. This principle seeks to address harm before the harm occurs.