Session Description
Looking back at the 34 year old Precautionary Principle (Rio 1992) to adapt it for the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Topics to be explored by invited panellists could include:
* Re-examining 'scientific uncertainty' and 'irreversible harm' in the context of Social Impact Assessment, Indigenous rights, traditional knowledge and cultural heritage
* Strategic Environmental Assessment ... can regional planning establish threshold carrying capacities, beyond which 'irreversible harm' is likely to occur
* The potential and risks that future technologies (yet unproven) could mitigate 'irreversible harm'
* Ethical obligations in applying the Precautionary Principle in an unbiased manner
* The capacity for AI to create psuedo-scientific uncertainty and raise community concerns
* Examples where the Precautionary Principle has been misused in IA, agency decision-making, and Court Appeals, to exaggerate risks
Session Summary
A panel discussion of emerging issues with respect to the Precautionary Principle and its use or misuse in impact assessment and decision-making, followed by a workshop to start preparing IAIA guidelines
Additional Information
There have been many articles written over the past 10 years about the 'inhibiting' effect of the Precautionary Principle e.g. that it can hold back technical innovation and medical trials of new drugs. However this IAIA27 session will focus on Impact Assessment and the need for new IAIA best practice principles.
NOTE: Conference Stream T2 is suggested, but this is flexible/negotiable .... other streams may be similarly appropriate
Session Chair
Alan Chenoweth
Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Australia
Session Co-chair
Tara Howse
Equitable Resource Impacts
Canada