The precautionary principle in international environmental law: theory and practice

The article is devoted to the study of the precautionary principle in international environmental law, examines its historical development and modern legal discussions. The precautionary principle originated in Germany in the 1970s, and was aimed at preventing environmental harm even in the absence of complete scientific certainty about its occurrence. Subsequently, a number of international treaties and declarations began to develop this principle, starting with the UN Conference in Stockholm (1972) and the Rio de Janeiro Conference (1992). The author emphasizes that the lack of complete scientific certainty about future harm should not justify inaction in preventing it. Special attention is paid in the article to the application of the precautionary principle in the judicial practice of the International Court of Justice and specialized tribunals, its introduction into the legislation of the European Union, as well as its impact on the national legislation of Russia and other post-Soviet states. In Russia, the precautionary principle is not formally enshrined in law, but its elements are expressed through mandatory environmental assessment and the principle of presumption of environmental hazard of planned activities. Despite a number of successes in the implementation of this principle at the international and national levels, today there remain a number of problems related to the need for a clearer definition of its scope and the search for a balance of interests, criteria for assessing threats, the amount of harm, and causal relationships.

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