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Enabling regulatory innovation: Precaution, risk, and New Approach Methodologies.
Paris Jeffcoat1, Jaye Ellis2, Gordon M Hickey1
1Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management
|November 22, 2025
Summary
The precautionary principle, used in environmental policy, hinders the adoption of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) due to conflicting interpretations of risk. Clarifying these interpretations is key for integrating NAMs into environmental risk assessment.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Risk Assessment
- Environmental Policy
Background:
- The precautionary principle guides environmental policy and risk management.
- New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) offer innovative approaches to environmental risk assessment.
- A disconnect exists between policy development and implementation regarding NAMs adoption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the pace of NAM integration in environmental risk assessment.
- To investigate the reasons for the disconnect in NAM adoption between policy development and implementation.
- To explore how competing interpretations of the precautionary principle impact NAM acceptance.
Main Methods:
- Review of the precautionary principle's application in the Canadian context.
- Analysis of how 'precaution' and 'risk' are interpreted to justify regulatory action or inaction.
- Exploration of stakeholder interpretations of precautionary concepts.
Main Results:
- Conflicting interpretations of the precautionary principle are used to argue both for and against NAM adoption.
- This ambiguity in interpreting 'precaution' and 'risk' impedes regulatory innovation in environmental risk assessment.
- The Canadian context reveals how differing views on precaution can stall the validation and acceptance of NAMs.
Conclusions:
- Clarifying convergent and divergent interpretations of the precautionary principle is essential.
- Increased stakeholder understanding will build confidence in NAMs.
- A clear path forward is needed for incorporating NAMs into environmental risk assessment.
Keywords:
NAMsNew Approach Methodologiesenvironmental risk assessmentprecautionary principleregulatory innovationMore Related Videos
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