| Date | May 2012 | Marks available | 1 | Reference code | 12M.1.HL.TZ1.16 |
| Level | Higher level | Paper | Paper 1 | Time zone | Time zone 1 |
| Command term | Suggest | Question number | 16 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
What is an example of the precautionary principle?
A. Avoiding cigarettes as they increase the chances of lung cancer
B. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions as they may cause global warming
C. Avoiding strong sunlight as it increases the chances of skin cancer
D. Reducing cod fishing to increase fish stocks
Markscheme
B
Examiners report
Question 16 raised some interesting issues about the nature of science. The expected answer was B. The IB programme uses global warming as an example of the precautionary principle, because anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions are not yet proven to be the cause of the enhanced greenhouse effect but we should not wait for this proof before responding. It could be argued that in A, C and D we do not have proof of causation so again the precautionary principle could be invoked but the evidence of causation in each case is very strong –arguably stronger than with the cause of enhanced global warming.
