The postcautionary principle is a principle of ''de facto'' environmental management formulated by
John Paull in 2007. It is suggested that the postcautionary principle, as the antithesis of the
precautionary principle
The precautionary principle (or precautionary approach) is a broad epistemological, philosophical and legal approach to innovations with potential for causing harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking. It emphasizes cauti ...
, has guided environmental management, as it is actually practised.
Taking the Rio 1982 formulation of the precautionary principle as a guide, the postcautionary principle has been stated as follows:
''"Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, the lack of full scientific certainty shall be used as a reason for not implementing cost-effective measures until after the
environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is d ...
has actually occurred"'
Examples of this principle include: the extinction of the
thylacine
The thylacine ( , or , also ) (''Thylacinus cynocephalus'') is an extinct carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. The last known live animal was captured in 1930 in Tas ...
(Tasmanian tiger), which was, after decades of government bounty hunting (starting in 1888), declared a protected species on 10 July 1936 by the Fauna Board of
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, only weeks before the last one died in captivity (on 7 September 1936); the 2003 Forestry Tasmania burning of Tasmania's largest tree ''El Grande'', a tree protected under legislation, and its subsequent demise, after which "new standard operating procedures" were implemented; and seven months after
Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB; ms, Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad), formerly known as Malaysian Airline System (MAS; ), and branded as Malaysia Airlines, is the flag carrier airline of Malaysia and a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. (The ...
flight
MH370
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared on 8 March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned destination ...
disappeared without trace, the airline introduced a monitoring system where the onboard communication system will issue an electronic ping every few minutes
[Creedy, Steve, 2014]
More pings to locate Malaysian planes
The Australian, 31 October.
See also
*
Precautionary principle
The precautionary principle (or precautionary approach) is a broad epistemological, philosophical and legal approach to innovations with potential for causing harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking. It emphasizes cauti ...
*
Tombstone mentality
In aviation air safety, a tombstone mentality informally is a pervasive attitude of ignoring design defects until people have died because of them.
Strictly speaking, tombstone mentality decisions are examples where there is no incentive for ...
*
Environmental management
Environmental resource management is the management of the interaction and impact of human societies on the environment. It is not, as the phrase might suggest, the management of the environment itself. Environmental resources management aims ...
*
Thylacine
The thylacine ( , or , also ) (''Thylacinus cynocephalus'') is an extinct carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. The last known live animal was captured in 1930 in Tas ...
References
European Union law
Risk management
Waste management concepts
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