The future will be neither as good as some would lead us to believe, or as bad as other would have us think. But it is the onus of responsibility that becomes the industry’s “hot potato”, with innovators squaring off against product safety experts and consumer advocates over who should bear the ultimate cost and responsibility of insuring compliance with the ever-increasing safety standards.
With technology growing in complexity on a daily basis, it is no longer reasonable to live in a “buyer beware” society.
The Precautionary Principal, as a foundational underpinning of the sustainability movement, places the burden of protection on shoulders of those creating the products.
it is good to think of nanotechnology as the ultimate opportunity. However, it is also important to forge a new understanding about what “responsibility” looks like in this context.
The coming nanotech years will be ushered in with or without our blessing. Pandora’s Box is already open.