The Ethical Principle of Risk Governance: Analysis of the Development of the Precautionary Principle

Modern society needs to be vigilant and respond promptly to risks.The emergence of uncertainties not only may increase the probability of risks occurring but also may exacerbate their severity.Therefore, what ethical principle should be relied on to deal with risks characterized by uncertainty has become a problem to be solved.The precautionary principle is an important ethical principle for addressing and resolving risks with uncertain features.This article aims to explain the changes of the precautionary principle in risk governance from its origin, the expansion of its geographical scope, and the increase in its application fields; and focuses on demonstrating the continuous improvement of the precautionary principle in risk governance through the transformation from the weak precautionary principle governance model with limited effectiveness to the strong precautionary principle governance model with high effectiveness.