View article

The precautionary principle has been adopted in a variety of forms at international, European Union and national levels (Fisher, 2002). It is applied across an increasing number of national jurisdictions, economic sectors and environmental areas (Trouwborst, 2002; de Sadeleer, 2002). It has moved from the regulation of industry, technology and health risk, to the wider governance of science, innovation and trade (O’Riordan and Cameron, 1994; Raffensperger and Tickner, 1999; Harding and Fisher, 1999; O’Riordan et al., 2001). As it has expanded in scope, so it has grown in profile and authority. In particular, at a European level, the precautionary principle is explicitly laid down as a guiding principle of EC environmental policy (Article 174 (2) of the EC Treaty) and recognized both by the European Court of Justice (for example, ECJ 1998) and the European Commission (Commission of the European Communities …