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The Universal Precautionary Principle: New Pillars and Pathways for Environmental, Sociocultural, and Economic Resilience

Akins, Ashli; Lyver, Phil O'B.; Alrøe, Hugo F. and Moller, Henrik (2019) The Universal Precautionary Principle: New Pillars and Pathways for Environmental, Sociocultural, and Economic Resilience. Sustainability, 11 (8), p. 2357.

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Document available online at: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/8/2357


Summary

Global environmental degradation is linked to a worldwide erosion of ethnic identity and cultural diversity, as well as market disruption. Cultures rely heavily on the local environment around them, and local communities play a key role in conserving natural resources. People’s identity, connection with land, and the adaptation of Indigenous and local knowledge are prerequisites for resilience. Though the Environmental Precautionary Principle (EPP) aims to tackle environmental degradation by privileging the environment in the face of uncertainty, it is not sufficient on its own; it does not take into account the intimate connection between nature and local culture, nor does it prioritize community or cultural wellbeing. We suggest expanding this concept into a multi-faceted Universal Precautionary Principle (UPP), which recognizes people’s connection to the land, and elevates community, cultural, and economic wellbeing as equally important values alongside environmental concerns. Here, we coin the Universal Precautionary Principle, outline its four core pillars—systems, governance, diversity, and resilience—and introduce its three subsets: Environmental Precautionary Principle, Sociocultural Precautionary Principle, and Economic Precautionary Principle. We discuss potential outcomes of its application, and offer operational guidelines to implement the Universal Precautionary Principle in practice, before concluding that it is a crucial tool to build environmental, sociocultural, and economic resilience. In essence, reciprocity is the keystone for continuance—if the environment is healthy, people are more likely to be healthy. Equally, if people are healthy, the environment is more likely to be healthy; for both people and the environment to be healthy, their culture and economy must be healthy.


EPrint Type:Journal paper
Subjects: Values, standards and certification > Assessment of impacts and risks
Research affiliation: Denmark > Organic RDD 1 > MultiTrust
DOI:10.3390/su11082357
Deposited By: Alrøe, PhD Hugo Fjelsted
ID Code:35304
Deposited On:14 Jun 2019 07:00
Last Modified:14 Jun 2019 07:00
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted

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