Philosophy and the Precautionary Principle. Science, Evidence, and Environmental Policy

Abstract

Should we reduce cell phone emissions to prevent possible cancer, even though the causal link has not been demonstrated? Should an allegedly unsafe vaccine be removed from the market? Can a modest carbon tax be considered as a good solution to the climate change issue? To these and similar questions, a principle has gained a large recognition in international treaties for a couple of decades: the precautionary principle (hereafter PP). The general idea it puts forwards is that when an activity can lead to a catastrophe for human health or the environment, policy measures should be taken to prevent it even if the cause-and-effect relationship is not fully established scientifically.