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07 Oct 1998
Friends of the Earth today welcomed calls by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution for changes in how the Government and official bodies make green policies.Friends of the Earth was especially delighted to see recommendations from the Commission for the use of the precautionary principle (whereby the benefit of any scientific doubt rests with public health and the environment), greater access to environmental information, for more democracy in environmental policy making and for people's values(as well as scientific opinion) having an influence on new policies.
Tony Juniper, Policy and Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth, said:
“The Royal Commission report makes some very good points that the Government should act upon as a matter of urgency. One of the most important recommendations is that the benefit of scientific doubt should rest with protecting public health and the environment. At the moment, it is quite clear that protecting profits and investment dominates policy-making whilst the rest of us pay with our health and declining environmental quality. This is clear in the procedure for assessing genetically modified crops and in the Government's ongoing review of chemicals”.
“Ministers must act on this report by getting decisions on genetically modified foods away from out- of- touch boffins and into the hands of the public. We need to see some real action on freedom of information, including details on which companies are releasing most pollution, and for new rules for the proper screening of chemicals which are possibly causing public health problems”.
ENDS
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N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
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