DUE April 2025; 100% correct solutions and explanations.
Three Essays Provided
Title: The Precautionary Principle and Water Restrictions
in Cape Town: A Personal Encounter with Environmental
Policy
Introduction
The precautionary principle, as outlined by Kriebel et al. (2001),
is a fundamental concept in environmental science and policy
that calls for proactive action in the face of scientific
uncertainty, particularly when human health or ecological
systems are potentially at risk. Rather than waiting for
conclusive evidence of harm, this principle encourages decision-
makers to take preventative measures when plausible risks are
identified. In this essay, I reflect on a situation from my own
lifeworld—Cape Town’s water crisis of 2017–2018—and
examine how the precautionary principle was applied through
stringent water restrictions. I describe how these policies
affected my personal interaction with the environment and then
critically evaluate their effectiveness in altering human behavior.
Drawing on the insights of Kriebel et al. (2001), I explore both
the benefits and limitations of precautionary interventions in
real-world contexts.
A Personal Encounter with the Water Crisis
In late 2017, Cape Town was approaching what city officials
termed “Day Zero”—the day when municipal water supplies
would be turned off due to drastically low dam levels. Living in