Environmental Principles: Difference between revisions

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The '''polluter pays principle''' should be applied proportionately; meaning that the amount the polluter pays should be proportionate to the environmental damage and the wider costs and benefits to society of the activity in question. When deciding how much polluters should pay, policymakers must consider the value of the environmental damage caused by the polluter or the potential polluter, along with the costs and benefits associated with the polluter paying (fully or partially) for this damage. In some cases, full cost recovery may not be possible or proportionate and in these cases it may be reasonable that the cost is covered through other means<ref name="Env" />.

===Precautionary Principle===

The '''precautionary principle''' assists the decision-making process in the face of a lack of scientific certainty. The principle helps policymakers deal with risks which may not be precisely calculable in advance<ref name="Env" />.

The definition of the precautionary principle is outlined within the 1992 Rio Declaration to which the UK Government is signatory which states that 'where there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, a lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation’<ref name="Env" />.

The '''precautionary principle''' is applicable where there is plausible evidence of a risk that a particular policy could cause serious or irreversible damage to the environment, alongside a lack of scientific certainty about the likelihood and severity of this damage. The precautionary principle supports policymakers in their management of that risk. In applying the principle, the policymaker needs to make a reasonable assessment, using the best available scientific evidence, of the risk. Risk in this case should be understood as a combination of the likelihood of the environmental damage occurring and its severity. <ref name="Env" />.

==References==

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 The '''polluter pays principle''' should be applied proportionately; meaning that the amount the polluter pays should be proportionate to the environmental damage and the wider costs and benefits to society of the activity in question. When deciding how much polluters should pay, policymakers must consider the value of the environmental damage caused by the polluter or the potential polluter, along with the costs and benefits associated with the polluter paying (fully or partially) for this damage. In some cases, full cost recovery may not be possible or proportionate and in these cases it may be reasonable that the cost is covered through other means<ref name="Env" />.
+===Precautionary Principle===
+The '''precautionary principle''' assists the decision-making process in the face of a lack of scientific certainty. The principle helps policymakers deal with risks which may not be precisely calculable in advance<ref name="Env" />.
+The definition of the precautionary principle is outlined within the 1992 Rio Declaration to which the UK Government is signatory which states that 'where there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, a lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation’<ref name="Env" />.
+The '''precautionary principle''' is applicable where there is plausible evidence of a risk that a particular policy could cause serious or irreversible damage to the environment, alongside a lack of scientific certainty about the likelihood and severity of this damage. The precautionary principle supports policymakers in their management of that risk. In applying the principle, the policymaker needs to make a reasonable assessment, using the best available scientific evidence, of the risk. Risk in this case should be understood as a combination of the likelihood of the environmental damage occurring and its severity. <ref name="Env" />.
 ==References==
 <references />