Redistributing the Burden of Scientific Uncertainty: Implications of the Precautionary Principle for State and Nonstate Actors‪.‬

In this article, we use a case study of the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to examine the role of the precautionary principle in international environmental law and policy. Our findings indicate that a major function of the principle is to redistribute the burden of scientific uncertainty. By lowering the threshold of evidence of threats to human health or the environment required to trigger deliberations about taking action, the precautionary principle speeds up the process by which underlying ecological interdependence and scientific uncertainty are translated into policy interdependence and uncertainty. This prompts states to coordinate their policymaking, which reinforces multilateral processes and underlines the importance of the convening, coordinating, and facilitating roles of international institutions such as the United Nations Environment Programme. KEY-WORDS: precautionary principle, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), scientific uncertainty, management of interdependence. **********