Precautionary Principle

News:The steps being taken by the countries to halt the virus by suspending mobility are examples of a strategy known as the ‘precautionary principle’.

Facts:

• Precautionary Principle:It states that countries must take precautionary measures when stakes are high despite when scientific evidence about the expected event being harmful is not yet certain.
• Significance: The principle first found acceptance in Germany in the 1970s and 80s as lawmakers sought its implementation in cases of uncertain environmental and health hazards.
• In 1992, the UN Rio Declaration on Environment and Development also incorporated the strategy as did the Maastricht Treaty.