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Rhiannon  Beunder  

RT  330  

11/6/2012  

Precautionary  Principle  Assignment  

  The  precautionary  principle  has  been  around  since  the  1970s  and  has  played  a  large  

role  in  changing  society’s  views  on  environmental  protection  and  management.  This  

includes  the  roles  of  science,  politics,  ethics,  economics,  and  the  law.  The  precautionary  

principle  is  important  when  dealing  with  tourism  because  the  main  purpose  of  it  is  to  take  

certain  precautions  and  protect  the  environment  in  order  to  maintain  what  we  have  for  our  

current  and  future  generations.  An  example  of  this  from  Fennell  and  Ebert’s  journal,  

Tourism  and  the  Precautionary  Principle  would  be  regulating  a  product  before  health  and  

environment  dangers  are  proven.  If  we  ignore  the  precautionary  principle  and  allow  the  

environment  to  deteriorate,  then  tourism  will  deteriorate  with  it  because  nothing  will  be  

left.  Tourism  has  its  ways  of  destroying  the  environment  such  as  pollution,  erosion,  

disruption  of  species,  and  so  on.  If  people  are  unable  to  indulge  in  outdoor  recreation  and  

tourism  because  we  neglected  the  risks  associated  with  losing  our  environment  due  to  

uncertainty,  then  that  will  affect  society’s  health  and  safety.  Society’s  health  and  safety  is  a  

critical  issue  that  is  at  risk  if  the  precautionary  principle  is  not  taken  seriously.  In  many  

cases,  authority  chooses  to  believe  that  if  there  is  no  proof,  then  why  should  we  be  

spending  money  on  precaution  for  the  environment  when  money  could  be  spent  on  other  

things?  

  When  looking  at  the  precautionary  principle  the  first  key  concept  is  precautionary  

anticipation  meaning  taking  action  that  prevents  damage  to  the  environment  and  society  

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after  scientific  evidence  has  been  exposed.  This  is  beneficial  in  making  sure  that  our  future  

generations  are  able  to  enjoy  the  same  things  that  we  do  instead  of  us  ruining  it  for  them.  

The  second  concept  is  safeguarding  of  ecological  space  such  as  holding  back  from  using  

certain  natural  resources  that  will  have  it’s  toll  if  they  are  used  excessively  to  the  point  

where  there  is  nothing  left.  The  third  concept  is  the  proportionality  of  response  such  as  

using  the  cost-­‐benefit  analysis  to  regulate  certain  products  that  may  damage  the  health  and  

environment  even  before  it  is  proven  to  be  a  risk.  Duty  of  care  is  the  fourth  important  

concept  in  the  precautionary  principle,  which  addresses  the  preventative  actions  that  we  

can  take  in  hopes  of  avoiding  risks  that  the  society  and  the  environment’s  health  could  face.  

An  example  of  this  would  be  oil  companies  and  strict  liability  for  any  harm  done  to  the  

environment  even  if  it  is  accidental.  BP  faced  multiple  fines  in  violations  during  and  after  

the  2010  Gulf  of  Mexico  Oil  Spill.  (Rampton,  2012).  With  strict  regulations,  organizations  

take  more  care  in  avoiding  damage  to  the  environment.  The  fifth  concept  is  promoting  the  

cause  of  intrinsic  natural  rights,  making  sure  that  the  natural  processes  on  earth  continue  

so  they  can  sustain  all  life  on  our  planet.  The  final  concept  is  paying  for  past  ecological  debt,  

which  focuses  on  the  fact  that  organizations  have  caused  damage  to  the  environment  in  the  

past  and  need  to  be  more  precautious  than  other  organizations  that  have  not.  They  need  to  

find  ways  to  compensate  for  the  damage  that  they  have  already  endured.    

  The  main  concept  that  I  consider  the  primary  idea  is  preventative  anticipation  

because  science  is  the  key  to  understanding  our  world  better.  I  believe  that  it  is  better  to  be  

safe  then  sorry  and  if  multiple  scientific  sources  highlight  evidence  that  global  warming  is  

happening  then  we  should  listen  and  use  the  precautionary  principle  to  help  prevent  it.  

Some  people  with  high  authority  choose  not  to  believe  in  the  precautionary  principle  

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because  there  is  not  enough  proof.  They  do  not  see  why  money  should  be  spent  on  

something  that  may  not  happen  for  sure.  Scientists  and  environmentalists  are  aware  that  if  

we  do  not  use  the  principle,  the  next  generation  faces  the  loss  of  a  lot  of  the  natural  

surroundings  that  we  have  today.    

  I  believe  that  the  precautionary  principle  is  necessary  and  should  be  taken  seriously  

on  many  levels.  Predictions  that  are  estimated  by  scientists  are  not  always  exact  but  they  

are  usually  on  the  right  track.  Sustainable  tourism  and  the  precautionary  principle  go  hand  

in  hand.  If  several  scientists  predict  that  a  species  such  as  a  certain  type  of  plant  or  the  

African  rhino  are  going  to  become  extinct  and  no  one  takes  precautions  to  help  save  it,  

surely  enough  the  species  will  become  extinct.  This  is  why  the  precautionary  principle  

should  have  a  role  in  planning  the  directing  and  development  of  tourism  operations.  When  

dealing  with  tourism,  people  need  to  be  aware  and  take  action  on  the  issues  that  our  

environment  is  facing  or  otherwise  we  risk  losing  it,  leaving  nothing  for  our  future  

generations.  Tourism  benefits  the  environment  but  it  can  destroy  it  also.  An  example  of  this  

would  be  improper  sewage  management  in  Cancun,  Mexico.  The  beaches  and  wildlife  

surrounding  it  have  been  destroyed.  (Ebert  &  Fennell,  2004).  Precautions  need  to  be  taken  

in  order  to  make  sure  that  tourism  does  not  surpass  the  ecological  carrying  capacity.  

Tourism  would  be  ruined  without  the  precautionary  principle  because  society  would  stop  

caring  for  the  environment.  Without  natural  surroundings,  how  will  tourism  work?  

Tourism  is  important  for  people’s  health  because  it  benefits  us  physically  and  mentally.  The  

natural  environment  is  important  when  looking  at  our  health  and  safety  and  precautions  

should  be  taken  seriously  in  order  to  save  it.    

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Bibliography  

Ebert,  K.,  Fennell,  D.  A.  (2004).  Tourism  and  the  Precautionary  Principle.  Journal  of    

Sustainable  Tourism,  12  (6).  

 

Rampton,  R.  (Oct  5,  2012).  BP  Oil  Spill  Settlement:  Gulf  Coast  Senators  Sign  Bipartisan    

Letter  Seeking  Fair  Deal.  Huffington  Post.  Retrieved  from  the  World  Wide  Web  on  October  5,  2012  from  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/06/bp-­‐oil-­‐spill-­‐settlement-­‐senators_n_1944906.html.