Rachel's Precaution Reporter

"Foresight and Precaution, in the News and in the World"

Wednesday, November 2, 2005
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Table of Contents Edition

San Francisco Is First City to Consider Impact of Its Purchases
  In June, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to 
  take public health and environmental stewardship into 
  consideration when purchasing products -- from toilet paper to 
  computers. This levels the playing field for "green" 
  businesses, making it easier for them to compete.
The Pacific Northwest Is Warming Faster Than Anywhere Else
  "The region's elected officials and agencies now address 
  climate change here on the basis of the 'precautionary
  principle' -- acknowledging that they do not know everything
  about the long-range effects of global warming, but are taking 
  steps now before it's too late."
Philadelphia Moves to End Homelessness
  Philadelphia has set a goal -- to end homelessness in 10 years 
   -- and is now evaluating ways to get there. That's foresight in 
  action.
Precautionary Principle Raises Blood Pressure
  Henry I. Miller is one of the most flamboyant opponents of the 
  precautionary principle. He is a professor at Stanford
  University who rarely lets mere facts stand in the way of a 
  good yarn about the dangers of foresight and forecaring.

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  Rachel's Precaution Reporter offers news, views and practical
  examples of the Precautionary Principle, or Foresight Principle, in
  action. The Precautionary Principle is a modern way of making
  decisions, to minimize harm. Rachel's Precaution Reporter tries to
  answer such questions as, Why do we need the precautionary
  principle? Who is using precaution? Who is opposing precaution?

  We often include attacks on the precautionary principle because we  
  believe it is essential for advocates of precaution to know what
  their adversaries are saying, just as abolitionists in 1830 needed
  to know the arguments used by slaveholders.

  Rachel's Precaution Reporter is published as often as necessary to
  provide readers with up-to-date coverage of the subject.

  As you come across stories that illustrate the precautionary 
  principle -- or the need for the precautionary principle -- 
  please Email them to us at rpr@rachel.org.

  Editors:
  Peter Montague - peter@rachel.org
  Tim Montague   -   tim@rachel.org
  
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Environmental Research Foundation
P.O. Box 160, New Brunswick, N.J. 08903
rpr@rachel.org