MIT Press  [Printer-friendly version]
October 10, 2005

A 400-PAGE 'PRECAUTION TOOLKIT' HOT OFF THE MIT PRESSES

[Rachel's introduction: "Finally--a book that exposes the
precautionary principle for what it really is: a rational, practical,
fair-minded, powerful, science-based approach for making the world a
safer, more livable place.... Bravo!" -- Sandra Steingraber, Ithaca
College]

The precautionary principle calls for taking action against threatened
harm to people and ecosystems even in the absence of full scientific
certainty. The rationale is that modern technologies and human
activities can inflict long-term, global-scale environmental damage
and that conclusive scientific evidence of such damage may be
available too late to avert it. The precautionary principle asks
whether harm can be prevented instead of assessing degrees of
"acceptable" risk.

This book provides a toolkit for applying precautionary concepts to
reshape environmental policies at all levels. Its compendium of
regulatory options, detailed examples, wide- ranging case studies, and
theoretical background provides both citizens and policymakers with
the basis for acting on any issue in any situation -- whether it's
pesticide use at local schools or a new international regulatory
system for chemicals.

Precautionary Tools for Reshaping Environmental Policy describes the
analytical and ethical bases of the precautionary principle as well as
practical options for implementing it. It provides a "precautionary
checklist" that can serve as a springboard for discussion and
decisions. And it offers a variety of case studies that show the
precautionary principle in action -- from elk and cattle farming to
marine fisheries, from the protection of indigenous cultures against
bioprospecting to the restoration of the federal court system as a
safety net for people harmed by products and chemicals. A hands-on
interdisciplinary guide, the book demonstrates the advantages of a
precautionary approach and addresses criticisms that have been leveled
against it.

For updates and more information on the precautionary principle at
work, visit the Science and Environmental Health Network web site.

Nancy J. Myers is Communications Director of the Science and
Environmental Health Network.

Carolyn Raffensperger is an environmental lawyer and the founding
director of the Science and Environmental Health Network.

Endorsements

"Finally--a book that exposes the precautionary principle for what it
really is: a rational, practical, fair-minded, powerful, science-based
approach for making the world a safer, more livable place. From
playgrounds in Texas to courtrooms in Wisconsin, from elk farms and
marine fisheries to hospitals and architectural firms, here are
portraits of precaution in action. All together, they serve as a
template for environmental transformation. Bravo!" --Sandra
Steingraber, Ithaca College, author of Living Downstream: An Ecologist
Looks at Cancer and the Environment

"A unique and comprehensive synthesis and compendium of heretofore
disparate writings on and critiques of the precautionary principle,
incorporating both European and American legal, political, and
cultural traditions and perspectives. Theoretically sound and
practically oriented, this book will be a must-read for policy
analysts and policymakers, environmentalists, enlightened
industrialists, citizens and activists, and students of government and
regulation." --Nicholas A. Ashford, Professor of Technology and
Policy, MIT, and coauthor of Environmental Law, Policy, and Economics:
Reclaiming the Environmental Agenda

The MIT Press
November 2005
ISBN 0-262-63323-X
6 x 9, 400 pgs., 1 illus.
$25.00 (PAPER)