.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rachel's Precaution Reporter #43

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

Wednesday, June 21, 2006.............Printer-friendly version
www.rachel.org -- To make a secure donation, click here.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 

Table of Contents Edition

A California County Moves to Ban Genetically Engineered Crops
  Santa Cruz county (California) supervisors on June 20 unanimously
  adopted on "first reading" a "precautionary moratorium" on the use of
  genetically-engineered crops anywhere in the county. You can listen to
  the June 20 supervisors' meeting here and read a hefty set of
  background documents here. The "precautionary moratorium" ordinance
  is scheduled for a final vote by county supervisors in August. Some
  other Calfornia counties favor genetically-modified crops.
In England, a Conservative Platform Will Include Precaution
  In England, environmental advisor Zac Goldsmith plans to press four
  themes in drafting the new conservative platform on green issues:
  energy efficiency; local food; less dependence on foreign oil; and the
  precautionary principle. He believes these are pragmatic goals, which
  fit right in with Conservative Party values.
U.S. Department of Defense Adopts Precaution (Sort of)
  In some sense, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has taken a
  precautionary stance toward wind turbines that may interfere with
  aviation radar. Precaution helps you protect the things you care
  about, and if protecting aviation radar is your goal, precaution can
  help you achieve it. Of course fully precautionary action would start
  with a public process for deciding goals and examining all reasonable
  alternatives for achieving them, so the DoD stance on wind turbines is
  not precautionary in the classic meaning of the term.
11th Grade Class Studies Milk, Decides to Ban Gene Modifications
  After several days of discussion, the 11th-grade global studies
  class decided to follow the "precautionary principle," which guides
  policy in many European nations, and institute a worldwide moratorium
  on genetically modified (GM) foods until they could be proven safe,
  and to require labeling of any GM foods that were approved for
  consumption. Furthermore, the summit voted to take away the right of
  any person or corporation to patent food.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

  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
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

  To start your own free Email subscription to Rachel's Precaution
  Reporter send a blank Email to one of these addresses:

  Full HTML edition: join-rpr-html@gselist.org
  Table of Contents edition: join-rpr-toc@gselist.org

  In response, you will receive an Email asking you to confirm that
  you want to subscribe.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Environmental Research Foundation
P.O. Box 160, New Brunswick, N.J. 08903
rpr@rachel.org
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::