Winter 2002 Newsletter
Redefining Progress Using "The Precautionary Principle"
David Kyler, Executive Director
What is good, clean tap water worth?
How much would you pay to keep traffic
from getting worse on your trips to
work or shopping? What would you be
willing to sacrifice to prevent the
leveling of a nearby stand of native oaks,
cedars, and magnolias? Just how
valuable is that view across the
marsh where those undeveloped
hammocks are home to blue herons,
woodstorks, and other wildlife?
These are questions being asked by
coastal Georgians with greater
regularity as every year passes.
Difficult as they may be to answer, we
must struggle to find reasonable
responses, and sooner rather than later.
We know from witnessing the loss of
natural beauty in other places that
growth takes its toll and there are
limits that shouldnít be violated. But
defining those limits eludes us, even as
we know they are being crossed.
The uncertainty brought by growth and
the risks to our future may seem
insurmountable. Setting standards for
our quality of life and adopting the
means to prevent them from being
violated is unquestionably a major
challenge. The Center is working
with other non-profit organizations
in Georgia to help meet that
challenge.
An vital part of that work involves an
important principle being debated
among Georgians embroiled in water
resource policy: water, above ground
and below, is a public resource, not
a commodity to be bought and sold
to the highest bidder. Yet, some argue
for land, water, and living
resources to be cleared,
extracted, diverted,
shipped, and sold indi-
scriminately in the name
of economic progress.
The Center strongly
believes that it is time
to reconsider how we
define progress before
ìprogressî ruins what
coastal Georgians
value most. We simply
cannot afford to
continue ìbusiness as
usualî at the expense
of our shared natural
wealth. And we must
direct our efforts to address this urgent
question before it is too late.
Toward that end, the Center for a
Sustainable Coast recently sent a
petition to the Board of Natural
Resources, endorsed by scores of
coastal Georgians, asking state
officials to improve the enforcement of
existing environmental protection laws.
(Please see page 3.) A memo submitted
with this petition set forth specific steps
that should be taken in making these
improvements. Further,
we suggested general
principles that should
be used as new decision
criteria that would avoid
unjustifiable risks to
valued resources. This
proposal serves as the
groundwork for a
more enlightened
notion of progress.
Without creating any
new laws, there is
ample opportunity
for doing a better job
of protecting our
individual and com-
munity interests in
natural resources. Most regulations
provide great discretion in the use of
federal, state and local authority in
determining how resources may be used
and under what controls and
circumstances. Yet decisions made by
those authorities continue to
threaten the interests of the public
by inaccurately evaluating the
individual and cumulative effects of
permitted actions.
Officials who are in a position to make tradeoffs between
public interest and private gain could do much to reconsider
criteria we use to define progress. As long as such decisions
are consistent with the intent of applicable laws, they would
be defensible and could help set important new standards.
When impacts of proposed actions are uncertain, we can
be more resourceful in using current law to better
protect our communities and long-term interests by
using the Precautionary Principle.
In the January 2001 issue of Scientific American, the
precautionary principle is justified as an innovative
policy to prevent decisions that could cause significant
harm in the face of scientific uncertainty. International
treaties apply this approach in trade issues to limit risk of
items like bio-engineered products. To quote EPA Director
Christie Todd Whitman (prior to her appointment at EPA), as
cited in that same article,
"...Policymakers need to take a precautionary
approach to environmental protection... We must
acknowledge that uncertainty is inherent in managing
natural resources, recognize that it is usually easier
[and far safer] to prevent environmental damage than
to repair it later, and shift the burden of proof away
from those advocating protection toward those
proposing an action that may be harmful."
[Parenthetical comment and bolding added.]
Coastal Georgians should seriously consider these questions
and voice their concerns in support of actions that protect
our cherished public resources. One of the most important
ways you can speak out is to write or call our local, state, and
federal elected officials. You can also help resolve these
issues by supporting the Center through your membership.
Working together, we can make lasting improvements
in Coastal Georgia by embracing a new definition
of progress.
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