环境风险治理中科技专家的责任

Responsibilities of Sci-tech Experts in Environmental Risk Management

环境风险主要是由科技力量扩张带来的现代性风险,科技专家因此获得了在环境风险治理中的权威地位并因此需要承担相应的责任。整体科技水平不高,完成工业现代化的时间较短,法律法规尚不健全,以及环境参与者的道德风险共同使得当代中国的环境风险更具威胁。环境风险的首要特征是不确定性,这是由现代科技活动本身和现代管理方式的特点所决定的,"有组织的不负责任"是现代风险治理的共同难题。科技专家在环境风险治理中应该也确实发挥着重要作用,但环境风险治理的专业性赋予科技专家的权威地位受到各种不确定性的挑战。"科技民主化和生态民主化"为"政府主导、企业担责、公众参与、社会监督"的综合治理体系提供了有益的借鉴。科技专家要在环境风险治理中发挥更具建设性的作用,首先要通过健全环境法律法规,保障在科技领域专家发挥权威作用。其次专家应本着对公众负责的态度,运用专业知识预测风险并及时发出环境灾害预警。第三,专家主导下的科学决策体制应与政府主导下的民主决策体制相结合,构建更加完善的综合治理体系,更好地防范环境风险。

An environmental risk is a kind of modern risk mainly caused by expansion of sci-tech power, and thus,sci?tech experts play a leading role in environmental risk management and bear important responsibilities. Theoverall relatively low technology level, the rapid industrial modernization, and imperfect legal system, as well asparticipants'moral flaw have led to high environmental risks in China. Uncertainty, one of the characteristics ofenvironmental risk determined by modern sci-tech activities and management model, makes a common problem formodern risk management, known as organized irresponsibility. Sci-tech experts should and do play an important rolein the management of environmental risks. However, their authority is challenged by the professionalization ofenvironmental risk management. The sci?tech democratization and ecological democratization provide references forthe establishment of a comprehensive management system in which government guides, enterprises takeresponsibilities, public participates in and society supervises. It is essential to establish sound environmental lawsand regulations to ensure that sci?tech experts can play a more constructive and authoritative role in environmentalrisk management. Experts also take the responsibility to use their professional knowledge to predict risks and issue early warnings of environmental disasters. The scientific decision ? making system guided by experts should becombined with the democratic decision ? making system guided by government to constitute a comprehensivemanagement system to better guard against environmental risks.