![]() ![]() Alternatives Assessment: an obligation exists to examine a full range of alternatives and select the alternative with the least potential impact on human health and the environment, including the alternative of doing nothing.The burden to supply this information lies with the proponent, not with the general public. Right to know: The community has a right to know complete and accurate information on potential human health and environmental impacts associated with the selection of products, services, operations, or plans.Government, business, and community groups, as well as general public, share their responsibility. Anticipatory Action: There is a duty to take anticipatory action to prevent harm.it allows for five key elements that can prevent irreversible damage to people and nature. The precautionary principle represents a paradigm shift in decision – making. Basic Features of Precautionary Principle Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation (Rio Declaration 1992, Principle 15). The Rio Declaration states: In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. ![]() However, there is no universally accepted definition of the principle. The precautionary principle is based on the adage that ‘it is better to be safe than sorry’. However, some laws have a precautionary nature, and the principle underpins much of the early environmental legislation in this country (The National Environmental Policy Act, The Clean Water Act, and The Endangered Species Act). In the United States e.g., the precautionary principle is not expressly mentioned in laws or policies. On a national level, several countries have used the precautionary principle to guide their environmental and public health policy. The precautionary principle then flourished in international statements of policy. The ‘ Vorsorgeprinzip’ was developed into a fundamental principle of German environmental law and invoked to justify the implementation of robust policies to tackle acid rain, global warming and North Sea pollution. The precautionary principle traces its origins to the early 1970s in the German principle ‘ Vorsorge’, or foresight, based on the belief that the society should seek to avoid environmental damage by careful forward planning. Whereas traditional approaches are reactive, this approach encourages “ action taking” to antedate and prevent damage to the environment. The Precautionary Principle is one of the most popular legal approaches in the field of environmental law today. The Precautionary Principle encourages “ action taking” to antedate and prevent damage to the environment. This principle is in contrast to the wait-and-watch approach which is generally followed in environmental issues. ![]() The principle follows the approach of being safe than being sorry. The Precautionary Principle shifts the burden of proof on the shoulders of the person who is arguing that the activity he is carrying out is not harmful. The principle states that if there is a risk of severe damage to the environment absence of any scientific or conclusive proof is not to be given as a reason for the inaction. The Precautionary Principle has been adopted in many environmental instruments all over the world.
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