2. Precautionary principle

The confusion between danger and risk is exacerbated by the excessive and unreflected application of the "Precautionary Principle".

In France, la loi Barnier du 2 février 1995 specifies that "the absence of certainty, taking into account current scientific and technical knowledge, must not delay the adoption of effective and proportionate measures aimed at preventing a risk of serious and irreversible damage to the environment at an economically acceptable cost".

In February 2005, the French Congress of Deputies enshrined the Charter of the Environment in the French Constitution, thereby elevating the precautionary principle (article 5) to the highest level of the legal hierarchy: "When the realization of a damage, although...