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Late lessons from early warnings: science, precaution, innovation —

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You are here: Home / Publications / Late lessons from early warnings: science, precaution, innovation

Late lessons from early warnings: science, precaution, innovation

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Topics: Chemicals , Environment and health , Various other issues ,

EEA Report No 1/2013

Cover Image

The 2013 Late lessons from early warnings report is the second of its type produced by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in collaboration with a broad range of external authors and peer reviewers. The case studies across both volumes of Late lessons from early warnings cover a diverse range of chemical and technological innovations, and highlight a number of systemic problems. The 'Late Lessons Project' illustrates how damaging and costly the misuse or neglect of the precautionary principle can be, using case studies and a synthesis of the lessons to be learned and applied to maximising innovations whilst minimising harms.

Published by

EEA (European Environment Agency)
Published: Jan 23, 2013

Content

Late lessons from early warnings II - Summary.pdf [3.9 MB]

Order information

Order a printed copy online (EU-Bookshop).

ISBN: 978-92-9213-349-8

ORDER ID (Catalogue Number): TH-AL-13-001-EN-C

Price (Euro): FREE

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News about this publication

The cost of ignoring the warning signs - EEA publishes ‘Late Lessons from Early Warnings, volume II’

The cost of ignoring the warning signs - EEA publishes ‘Late Lessons from Early Warnings, volume II’ New technologies have sometimes had very harmful effects, but in many cases the early warning signs have been suppressed or ignored. The second volume of Late Lessons from Early Warnings investigates specific cases where danger signals have gone unheeded, in some cases leading to deaths, illness and environmental destruction.

See also

Part A - Lessons from health hazards

Part A - Lessons from health hazards Part A commences with an analysis of 'false positives' showing that these are few and far between as compared to false negatives and that carefully designed precautionary actions can stimulate innovation, even if the risk turns out not to be real or as serious as initially feared.

Part D - Costs, justice and innovation

Part D - Costs, justice and innovation The chapters in part D analyse the reasons behind prevailing practice and then go on to offer insights, for example, on how cost calculation methods can be improved; on how insurance schemes could be used to compensate future victims of harm; and on the reasons why businesses frequently ignore early warnings.

Part E - Implications for science and governance

Part E - Implications for science and governance Part E considers the governance implications for science, public policy and public engagement, and how current practices could be improved to enable society to maximise the benefits of innovations while minimising harms on the basis of the cases in Parts A-D.

Part C - Emerging issues

Part C - Emerging issues Part C analyses some newly emerging and large‑scale products, technologies and trends, which potentially offer many benefits but also potentially much harm to people and ecosystems and thereby ultimately economic development.

Part B - Emerging lessons from ecosystems

Part B - Emerging lessons from ecosystems Part B focuses on emerging lessons from the degradation of natural systems and their wider implications for society - booster biocides, the pill and the feminisation of fish, climate change, floods, insecticides and honeybees as well as ecosystem resilience more broadly.

Related publications

Late lessons from early warnings: science, precaution, innovation (flyer)

Late lessons from early warnings: science, precaution, innovation (flyer) Science and the precautionary principle - lessons for preventing harm

Late lessons from early warnings: the precautionary principle 1896-2000

Late lessons from early warnings: the precautionary principle 1896-2000 Late lessons from early warnings is about the gathering of information on the hazards of human economic activities and its use in taking action to better protect both the environment and the health of the species and ecosystems that are dependent on it, and then living with the consequences. The report is based on case studies. The authors of the case studies, all experts in their particular field of environmental, occupational and consumer hazards, were asked to identify the dates of early warnings, to analyse how this information was used, or not used, in reducing hazards, and to describe the resulting costs, benefits and lessons for the future.

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Filed under: late lessons II, Rio conference, EEA

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