Rachel's Precaution Reporter

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

Wednesday, November 9, 2005
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Table of Contents Edition

Advancing the Precautionary Principle in Georgia
  In Georgia, the precautionary principle is advancing in several
  locales simultaneously as environmental justice activists, church 
  groups, and government officials join forces to explore the power of 
  foresight and forecaring to protect public health in communities.
Bold Precaution: The Precautionary Principle Gains Traction
  So, what is this precautionary principle? The word itself was
  translated from a German word, which literally means fore-caring. 
  It's the foresight principle. It's the fore-action principle. It's
  the grandmother principle. It's the principle that says, "We are
  going to look out for future generations and to future 
  generations for their well-being and their sanity."
Use and Abuse of the Precautionary Principle in Biotech Food
  "The precautionary principle is actually part and parcel of sound
  science.... Scientific evidence is always incomplete and uncertain. 
  The responsible use of scientific evidence, therefore, is to set 
  precaution. This is all the more important for technologies, such as
  genetic engineering, which can neither be controlled nor recalled."
Let Them Eat Precaution
  "Undercut by the mounting genetic evidence, anti-G.M. forces have 
  cooked up a new tactic, invoking the lowest common denominator in 
  fabricated scientific disputes: the 'precautionary principle.'"

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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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P.O. Box 160, New Brunswick, N.J. 08903
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