precautionary principle: in defense of common sense richard berman city of santa monica (310)...
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Precautionary Principle:In Defense of Common Sense
Richard Berman
City of Santa Monica
(310) 458-8711
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It is Not Common Sense To: The Construction Manager
“When I started in this business …
Now you need a piece of paper in your hand before you can put one foot in front of the other.”
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It is Not Common Sense To: The U.C. Berkeley Professor
(Political Science and Public Health)
“Precautionary Principle … is a marvelous piece of rhetoric.”
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Common Sense andCritical Thinking
• Make explicit the sense in common sense
• Internal logical consistency does not always confer validity.
• Examine our assumed ways of thinking, and the premises we unconsciously accept.
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Premise 1Acknowledges Traditional
Economic Buffering
• Market Capitalism– The primary mediator of economic activity and
use of technology since 1750 to present– Historically externalizes and buffers negatives.
Challenges traditional economic buffers.
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Premise 2Changes In Science and Knowledge
• Ecology and Systems Theory • Toxicology and Epidemiology• Accident Literature• What a scientist knows v. believes
Language and method for complexity and uncertainty that challenges historic ignorance.
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Premise 3Incorporates Expansion of
Democratic Ideal
• Race• Ethnicity• Gender• Religion• Sexual Preference
• Rights of Nature• Environmental Quality• Community Right To
Know• Environmental Justice
Gives voice to traditionally externalized interests.
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Premises and Tenets of Precautionary Principle
AlternativesAnalysis
CostsAnalysis
Public Process
Science & Knowledge
No EconomicBuffering
ChallengesIgnorance
Expansion ofDemocratic
Ideal
Premises
Tenets
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Alternatives Analysis 1
What does this mean to the traditional economic agent or activity?
Why might it not appear as common sense?
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Alternatives Analysis 2
BEFORE PP• Economic activity is
mediated by classic economic competition only.
WITH PP• Economic activity is
not buffered from consideration of a breadth of alternatives.
Premise 1: Challenges traditional economic buffers.
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Alternatives Analysis 3EXAMPLE: Fuel Oxygenates / Pesticides
ECONOMIC
COMPETITION• MTBE (petrol)
• Chemical Pesticides
ALTERNATIVES
COMPETITION• Ethanol (corn)• No oxygenate
• Integrated Pest Mgmt.
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Public Process 1
Who is else is represented by a more Public Decision Making Process?
• Communities (geographical, economic, ethnic…)• Vulnerable populations (elderly, children …)• Environment (Locally, regionally, globally)• Resources held in common
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Public Process 2
What does this mean to the traditional economic agent?
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Public Process 3
BEFORE PP• Economic agent and
partners can prioritizing self-interest.
WITH PP• Economic agent and
partners are subject to a more public, societal decision making process.
Premise 1: Challenges traditional economic buffers.
Premise 3: Gives voice to traditionally externalized interests
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Public Process 4EXAMPLE: Incinerator
ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS
• Municipal Waste Incinerator without community input.
CONSIDERATION OF OTHERS
• Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles
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Public Process 5What has it historically meant to the the
general public not to have a public decision making process?
• First warnings of harm have been ignored.• see “Trade Secrets” with Bill Moyers• Environmental Injustice• PCB body burden of infants v. Hazwopper
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Science / Knowledge 1
What does this mean to the traditional economic agent?
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Science / Knowledge 2
BEFORE PP• Economic activity is
buffered by ignorance or uncertainty.
WITH PP• Economic activity is
subject to full breadth of information.
• Science and its uncertainties are only one of tools.
Premise 2: Challenges historic ignorance
Premise 1: Challenges traditional economic buffers.
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Science / Knowledge 3EXAMPLE: Polar Bears and Seals
ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS
• Economic activity buffered from knowledge of ecological relationships.
CONSIDERATION OF OTHER
• Domoic acid poisoning of seals
• Dioxins in polar bears
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Costs Analysis 1
What does this mean to the traditional economic agent?
Why might it not appear as common sense?
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Costs Analysis 2BEFORE PP
• Economic activity is subject to cost analysis w/ classic boundaries of economic activity.
WITH PP• Economic activity is
also subject to a broader cost analysis.
Premise 2: Challenges historic ignorance
Premise 1: Challenges traditional economic buffers.
Premise 3: Gives voice to traditionally externalized interests
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Costs Analysis 3EXAMPLE: Household Hazardous Waste
ECONOMIC
CONSIDERATION• Purchase of
household chemical products.
EXTERNAL
CONSIDERATIONS• Safety and Costs of
use and disposal of these products
(consumers, trash haulers, landfills etc.)
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Common Sense in Precautionary Principle
1. The world is ‘smaller’
2. All our actions are less buffered
3. Sciences / knowledge for complexity
4. More inclusive democracies
Precautionary Principle is a foundation to meet this challenge.
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Road TO the Present May Not Be Acceptable
IN The Present
Rich BermanCity of Santa Monica