Editing Precautionary principle (section)

===="Principle" vs. "approach"====
No introduction to the precautionary principle would be complete without brief reference to the difference between the precautionary ''principle'' and the precautionary ''approach''. Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration 1992 states that: "in order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall be not used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation." As Garcia (1995) pointed out, "the wording, largely similar to that of the principle, is subtly different in that:  it recognizes that there may be differences in local capabilities to apply the approach, and it calls for cost-effectiveness in applying the approach, e.g., taking economic and social costs into account." The "approach" is generally considered a softening of the "principle":

{{blockquote|As Recuerda has noted, the distinction between the precautionary principle and a precautionary approach is diffuse and, in some contexts, controversial. In the negotiations of international declarations, the United States has opposed the use of the term ''principle'' because this term has special connotations in legal language, due to the fact that a ''principle of law'' is a source of law. This means that it is compulsory, so a court can quash or confirm a decision through the application of the precautionary principle. In this sense, the precautionary principle is not a simple idea or a desideratum but a source of law. This is the legal status of the precautionary principle in the European Union. On the other hand, an 'approach' usually does not have the same meaning, although in some particular cases an approach could be binding. A precautionary approach is a particular "lens" used to identify risk that every prudent person possesses (Recuerda, 2008)<ref>{{cite journal |author=Recuerda, M. A. |title=Dangerous interpretations of the precautionary principle and the foundational values of the European Union Food Law: Risk versus Risk |journal=Journal of Food Law & Policy |volume=4 |issue=1 |year=2008 }}</ref>}}