From ‘the’ Precautionary Principle to Precautionary Principles

Abstract

The precautionary principle has been widely discussed in the academic, legal, and policy arenas. This paper argues, however, that there is no single precautionary principle and we should stop referring to ‘the’ precautionary principle. Instead, we should talk about ‘precaution’ and ‘precautionary approaches’ more generally and identify and defend distinct precautionary principles of limited scope. Drawing on the vast literature on ‘the’ precautionary principle, this paper further argues that the challenges of decision making under conditions of uncertainty necessitate taking a precautionary approach to decision making that will enable us to understand what particular precautionary principles require of us on a case-by-case basis.