Is Reducing Risk the Real Objective of Risk Management?

A new bumper sticker is making the rounds of Washington, one that openly invites the reader to place it in the context of his choice. In bold red letters it says “Question the Dominant Paradigm.” This cryptic message succinctly captures the complaints raised about risk-based priority setting in environmental policy. For many, it seems the worst thing imaginable that we might actually solve an environmental problem and have to find something else productive to do.