The Ethical Responsibility of Adopting the Precautionary Principle in the Guimaras Situation

Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics 17 (2):50-53 (2007)
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Abstract

The basic condition of human existence is the urge to deal with the risks that are coupled with living in this world. Many of these risks emerge from the activities of human beings. After years of scientific, technological and industrial progress, human development has come to a point where it must control its effect on the biosphere that provides the basis for its existence.The emergence of increasingly unpredictable, uncertain, and unquantifiable but possibly catastrophic risks has confronted societies with the need to develop an anticipatory model to protect humans and the environment against uncertain risks of human action. This model is the precautionary principle.In this paper, the adoption of the precautionary principle as a guiding principle in performing the ethical responsibility of taking care of the environment was studied. The specific environmental dilemma that was investigated was the oil spill, which occurred in Guimaras, Philippines. The liabilities of those directly involved in the tragedy were examined and the precautionary steps that must be taken were discussed.Aside from the ethical responsibility of the major players involved, the ethical responsibility of the common man was discussed as well. The “common man” is defined as someone not directly related or affected by the tragedy. Thus, I must start with my self to find out the reason behind my ethical responsibility since I am a common man. This is essential to relate the existence of the environment and human beings with each other

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