The precautionary principle in the work of the public administration: risk management in climate change

This report aims to highlight the fundamental role played by the precautionary principle in the issue of the climate emergency and how this principle is increasingly used in international governance policies to counter unpredictable phenomena, that could lead to environmental disasters, in connection with the evolution of the climate. The first part of the paper is dedicated to the analysis of the main historical and political stages in which the prediction of the precautionary principle has been related to the climate issue in order to face up to the problem of global warming. Then, the paper examines how this principle is currently employed by the most important acts, in particular the so-called European Green Deal. Finally, the essay reflects on the links between precautionary and proportionality principles, which are both of a relational nature, and necessary tools in the political decision-making processes for dealing with the global climate emergency.