Can the precautionary principle boost science and innovation?
Brussels, 11 January 2002 A prominent European scientist has said that the use of the precautionary principle in health and environmental decision-making can boost innovation and stimulate better science. The precautionary principle, enshrined in the European Union Treaty, governs decision-making in uncertain situations, where both inaction and regulatory measures could carry large costs. Commenting on a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report, ‘Late lessons from early warnings: the precautionary principle 1896 – 2000,’ Professor Poul Harremoës of the Technical University of Denmark said: ‘The use of the precautionary principle can bring benefits beyond the reduction of health and environmental impacts, stimulating both more innovation, via technological diversity and flexibility, and better science.’ Professor Harremoës, who chaired the report’s editorial committee, warned, however, that ‘over-precaution can also be expensive, in terms of lost opportunities for innovation and los
