The Messy (and Risky) Ways That Governments Try to Manage Risks

By David Ropeik | March 1, 2013

The very concept of risk is tricky. To you and me, it means pretty much what the dictionary says…the probability that something bad might happen. And to us, the part of that definition that most influences how worried a risk makes us feel is the subjective ‘bad’ part, more than the objectively quantifiable likelihood. We are emotional survivalists more than we are probabilistic rationalists.  But when it comes to government risk management policy making, shouldn’t we want the probabilities to matter more and the emotions less? The goal of risk policy, after all, is to maximize protection of public and environmental health in a world of limited resources. Doesn’t it seem like the best way to do that is to be more objective, more evidence-based, more rational, to focus on the facts, not our feelings?...To Read More……