The Precautionary Principle: Managing Technological Risks to Protect Humanity and our Planet

New genetic, nano, cyber, and bio-chemical technologies threaten our environment and our own life as a species, sometimes prompting near-panic at the extinction of species (bees, butterflies, coral, polar bears, etc) and at increases in human allergies, autism diagnoses, and effects of hormones on endocrine and reproductive systems.  This report reviews the several regulatory approaches needed to protect the biosphere without stifling innovation.  Within a sustainability framework, it provides Christian theological concepts and ethical principles for evaluating inevitable trade-offs.  More use of the precautionary principle would bring more holistic consideration of social and ecological goods, such as biodiversity, and more scientific analysis of climate impacts on toxins and their interaction, while applying a decent Christian skepticism toward purported technological fixes such as geo-engineering and increased artificial intelligence use.