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Opinion: A Green Brexit is possible
The Cummings (aka Johnson) administration is probably deliberately seeking to drive the UK over a cliff into a ‘no deal’ Brexit. Wringing our hands about this is pointless. Since the general election, Brexit is actually happening. Our task now is to work towards it sooner or later being a good one, a green one. This hard-Brexit, hard-right government is seeking to race to the bottom in making ‘trade treaties’ with far-flung nations around the world (most notably of course Trump’s America) – tending to increase our ecological footprint (and cancel much-needed regulations that protect both our health and nature) at the very moment that that footprint desperately needs reducing. Once…
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How to save the Precautionary Principle: Some thoughts for Lords and Ladies
Introduction What is the Precautionary Principle [PP]? The PP aims to ensure a high level of environmental protection through preventative decision-taking in the case of risk and particularly of uncertainty. It is applied in circumstances where there are reasonable grounds for concern that an activity could cause harm, but where there is uncertainty about the probability of the risk and the degree of harm and some gaps in the information currently available. The PP is a vital tool for defending humanity against itself, a way of having the humility of recognizing that we are living in a world that we will never fully understand, let alone control. The PP has…
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APPG briefing on the Precautionary Principle and climate change
In March 2018 I delivered two briefings to the APPG on Agreocology for Sustainable Food and Farming. The below document is the briefing on the importance of maintaining the Precautionary Principle for Climate Change, after the UK leaves the European Union. The other briefing was on animal welfare.
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APPG briefing on the Precautionary Principle and animal welfare
In March 2018 I delivered two briefings to the APPG on Agreocology for Sustainable Food and Farming. The below document is the briefing on the importance of maintaining the Precautionary Principle for animal welfare, after the UK leaves the European Union. The other briefing was on climate change.