LSAT 154 | Section 3 | Reading Comprehension: Q23

RC Question 23 Explanation

DISCUSSION: What does the author think about the precautionary principle? Well the precautionary principle is a principle of customary international law. The author thinks CIL is useless, since nations only say they like these customs, but don’t actually follow them. Instead, they use these customs to criticize other nations.

___________

1. No, they’re used in the absence of formalized statutes.
2. CORRECT. This is stated in paragraph 3.
3. Other environmental principles are out of scope.
4. Paragraph 4 says that treaties and negotiations are already used more. So CIL principles haven’t inhibited negotiations.
5. The passage doesn’t say that treaties are formed based on CIL norms; more rather, it sounds like they coexist and one doesn’t necessarily come before the other.