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The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement on biosafety as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) effective since 2003. The Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by genetically modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
The precautionary principle is a broad epistemological, philosophical and legal approach to innovations with potential for causing harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking. It emphasizes caution, pausing and review before leaping into new innovations that may prove disastrous. Critics argue that it is vague, self-cancelling, unscientific and an obstacle to progress.
Broadly speaking, a risk assessment is the combined effort of:
- identifying and analyzing potential (future) events that may negatively impact individuals, assets, and/or the environment ; and
- making judgments "on the tolerability of the risk on the basis of a risk analysis" while considering influencing factors.
The Australian Intelligence Community (AIC) and the National Intelligence Community (NIC) or National Security Community of the Australian Government are the collectives of statutory intelligence agencies, policy departments, and other government agencies concerned with protecting and advancing the national security and national interests of the Commonwealth of Australia. The intelligence and security agencies of the Australian Government have evolved since the Second World War and the Cold War and saw transformation and expansion during the Global War on Terrorism with military deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq and against ISIS in Syria. Key international and national security issues for the Australian Intelligence Community include terrorism and violent extremism, cybersecurity, transnational crime, the rise of China, and Pacific regional security.
The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, also known as the SPS Agreement or just SPS, is an international treaty of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and entered into force with the establishment of the WTO at the beginning of 1995. Broadly, the sanitary and phytosanitary ("SPS") measures covered by the agreement are those aimed at the protection of human, animal or plant life or health from certain risks.
The Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling Liaison Committee (ADMLC) is composed of representatives from government departments, agencies and private consultancies. The ADMLC's main aim is to review current understanding of atmospheric dispersion and related phenomena for application primarily in the authorization or licensing of pollutant emissions to the atmosphere from industrial, commercial or institutional sites.
The Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand (CASANZ) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization formed in the 1960s to bring together people with an interest in clean air and the study of air pollution. Its focus has since grown to include broader environmental management affairs, but with special emphasis on air quality and related issues.
The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) is an independent, international, non-governmental organization, with the mission to protect people, animals, and the environment from the harmful effects of ionising radiation. Its recommendations form the basis of radiological protection policy, regulations, guidelines and practice worldwide.
The Beef Hormone Dispute is one of the most intractable agricultural controversies since the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
A micromort is a unit of risk defined as a one-in-a-million chance of death. Micromorts can be used to measure the riskiness of various day-to-day activities. A microprobability is a one-in-a million chance of some event; thus, a micromort is the microprobability of death. The micromort concept was introduced by Ronald A. Howard who pioneered the modern practice of decision analysis.
A flood risk assessment (FRA) is an assessment of the risk of flooding from all flooding mechanisms, the identification of flood mitigation measures and should provide advice on actions to be taken before and during a flood.
Environmental epidemiology is a branch of epidemiology concerned with determining how environmental exposures impact human health. This field seeks to understand how various external risk factors may predispose to or protect against disease, illness, injury, developmental abnormalities, or death. These factors may be naturally occurring or may be introduced into environments where people live, work, and play.
The UK Statistics Authority is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for oversight of the Office for National Statistics, maintaining a national code of practice for official statistics, and accrediting statistics that comply with the Code as National Statistics. UKSA was established on 1 April 2008 by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007, and is directly accountable to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Because of the ongoing controversy on the implications of nanotechnology, there is significant debate concerning whether nanotechnology or nanotechnology-based products merit special government regulation. This mainly relates to when to assess new substances prior to their release into the market, community and environment.
Lexcel is an accreditation indicating quality in relation to legal practice management standards. It was introduced by The Law Society of England and Wales in 1998. Until 2010, the Lexcel standard was attainable by law firms and in-house legal departments in England and Wales. A separate franchised scheme was available for practices in Northern Ireland. Since September 2010, Lexcel accreditation has been attainable by any law firm or in-house legal department in any jurisdiction in the world. The worldwide scheme continues to be administered by the Law Society of England and Wales.
Building Safer Communities. Risk Governance, Spatial Planning and Responses to Natural Hazards is a 2009 book edited by Urbano Fra Paleo, published by IOS Press.
Peter Taylor is a UK environmentalist with a long track record of public activism and scholarship on issues ranging from nuclear safety, ocean pollution, biodiversity strategies, renewable energy and climate change. His recent work on global warming has been questioned by environmentalists. His 2009 book Chill: a reassessment of global warming theory argued that most of the recent documented warming is caused by peaking natural cycles, that there is also a potential for global cooling and that adaptation not mitigation should be a priority. His views received widespread coverage in the media – with front page on the Daily Express, and articles in the online versions of The Times and an Al Jazeera video.
The Science & Environmental Health Network (SEHN) is a non-profit organization founded in 1994. Its principal aim is to use law and best practices to combat cumulative impacts, especially in matters relating to public health and the environment. It is also a keen advocate of the Precautionary Principle, releasing a number of guidelines regarding how this principle should be actioned by governments and organizations.
Countries using or considering to use hydraulic fracturing have implemented different regulations, including developing federal and regional legislation, and local zoning limitations. In 2011, after public pressure France became the first nation to ban hydraulic fracturing, based on the precautionary principle as well as the principal of preventive and corrective action of environmental hazards. The ban was upheld by an October 2013 ruling of the Constitutional Council. Some other countries have placed a temporary moratorium on the practice. Countries like the United Kingdom and South Africa, have lifted their bans, choosing to focus on regulation instead of outright prohibition. Germany has announced draft regulations that would allow using hydraulic fracturing for the exploitation of shale gas deposits with the exception of wetland areas.
The Office of Emergency Planning (OEP) is a civil/military body within Ireland's Department of Defence responsible for the co-ordination and oversight of emergency planning between state agencies. It is answerable to the Minister for Defence.
References
- ↑ Interdepartmental Liaison Group on Risk Assessment Official website Archived 2006-11-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ ILGRA Report 2002 The Precautionary Principle: Policy and Application